


Passing Shadows

by locrianrose



Category: Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: Knights of the Old Republic, Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: AU, I take liberties with canon, don't like don't read my dudes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-31
Updated: 2018-10-29
Packaged: 2019-03-11 17:45:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 37,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13529382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/locrianrose/pseuds/locrianrose
Summary: (It's all ocs. And probably like all trash but I need somewhere to post this so I can make my friends read it.)In WHICH A SITH MAKES TROUBLE FOR OUR FAVORITE FRIENDLY GROUP OF JEDI KNIGHTS. There's conflict. Kara doubts a lot of things. Tula's a train wreck. Locke can't figure out why all his friends keep doubting the Jedi code. Blitz just wants to get his job done. Dune is really more fascinated by the dark side than he should be. Zand just wants to get paid. El's here as a voice of reason. Kash is just trying to be a supportive friend. Baldur's just along for the ride, and Aria just wants to do what's right.





	1. All’s well that ends well ?

Tula ducked her head as she entered the cave, noting that her companion had no such troubles. Zand was shorter, and even in armor she was able to easily walk under the ledge and enter without difficulty.

“How far in was it?” Asked Zand.

“About half a mile—from what I heard. The locals say that this place cursed, so they tend to avoid it. I had to unblock the entrance to go in as far as I did.”

“Will you wait here while I go in?”

“I can do that.” The bounty hunter nodded. “I’ll keep watch from here.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re the one paying me, but you’re welcome.”

“I’ll try not to take more than an hour.”

Zand nodded to her, and glowrod in hand, Tula headed farther into the cave.

As she walked farther in, the floor grew smoother, a path that had once been well traveled. She could tell that whoever had walked had taken care not to show that closer to the entrance to the cave.

There were runes on the walls that she saw as she moved farther in, the most of which escaped her, but there were words and fragments that she did understand from her studies since she’d departed from the order. As they grew in frequency, she extracted a holocamera from her pack, activating it and setting it to follow her and record what she passed. She’d look back over it later and see what she could gather once she had the artifact.

There was a good chance that if Zand had been able to discover this place that the Jedi would be able to as well, and so the quicker she could get in and out the better it would be. Zand was the best at what she did, but if the locals knew about the place then others could as well.

Tula pressed on, glancing back every so often to be sure that her holocamera was still following. The farther that she walked, the stronger the presence of the dark side grew around her, looming around her.

Once, this would have been something that terrified her and caused her to feel fear, but now she merely allowed it to exist around her. It was something necessary, and she didn’t revel in it, but she was aware that the negative feelings that could come from it did indeed need to be watched and controlled carefully. Her crewmates wouldn’t mind if she was irritable for the next few days, and they were well aware at this point that she prefered time alone whenever she returned from one of her ventures to search for artifacts.

Eventually, she reached the inner chamber of the cave that Zand had spoken of, the darkness surrounding her stronger than ever. Inhaling deeply, she stepped into the circular room, holding her glowrod up to better see the room.

She stepped forwards, examining the space, moving forwards until she reached a platform in the center of the room. Carefully, she reached out, placing a hand on it and focusing. There was something there, hidden away in the platform, and she had a good idea of what she’d need to do to reach it.

Tula inhaled deeply, focusing on the dark energies around her, and then allowed them to surround her, letting them stirr up her own anger at the injustices that she’d seen in the world, and the flaws that she’d seen in the Jedi Order back on Telos. The dark energy moved through her, and she reached out again, placing her hand on the platform, tracing it across it and feeling the patterns in the stone. Focusing her anger, she pushed, reaching down into the stone to feel what mechanisms controlled it.

Something in it didn’t want to open to her, pressing back as she struggled to find the right place to push to open it up. Frustration growing, she pulled at the surface of the stone where she could feel paper thin cracks, attempting to pry it open with the force.

Genuinely angry at the fact that it still had yet to open, she focused her anger again, her hand pressed down on the stone. Finally, something in it shifted, an ancient mechanism moving in response to the manipulation of the force around it. Panels shifted, and from the platform under her hand a small point rose from the rock, pressing into her skin as it was raised from below, finally rising at the beckoning of the dark side.

“Hah!” Tula exclaimed, clenching her hand around the small pyramid, feeling the darkness coming from it, accompanied by a fierce sense of pride at what she’d just accomplished. She pulled it from the platform, and as she did she realized just what she was holding tightly in her hand.

Somehow, from the chamber within the rock, she’d managed to extricate what looked to be—what had to be— a sith holocron. Intrigued, she set her glowrod down, placing both hands on the object, unsure as to how she’d activate it.

There would be time for that later though. For now, she needed to get back to Zand, so she carefully wrapped the holocron in a scrap of cloth in her pack, placing it in the bag for safekeeping. The knowledge that it might hold—that was something that she couldn’t fathom. She’d be cautious, true, and if it proved to be too much then she’d contact Blitz and tell him that she’d come across it. The Jedi would know what to do if it proved too powerful, and if that was the case, then she’d contact them about that.

Before she’d attempt any such thing—and preferably before she interacted with anyone but Zand— she’d need to take the time to cloak herself in the force again, and she’d have to take an extra degree of care with what she now carried with her. None of her current companions seemed to be force sensitive, but it was possible that someone who they’d deal with might be, and she had no desire that the Jedi—or any Sith that there might be— know where she was unless she wanted them to. This technique had been something she’d sought out before leaving the order, using the library and the resources there to practice what she could so they wouldn’t be able to find her unless she wanted them to, and since she had left she’d been seeking after the sith techniques for doing the same thing, as they seemed to all make a habit of hiding in the force.

Tula was well aware that the council would frown upon what she was now doing, and that if they knew that she’d found a holocron, they’d likely stop at little to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands, which, in their opinion, would most likely be her hands, so as she walked she began the process of hiding it away.

By the time she reached Zand, she felt that she’d reached a point where the misama of the dark side that would undoubtedly be trailing after her as she left was at least somewhat contained.

Zand was casually leaning on the wall of the cave, cleaning her gun as she did.

“Any action?” Tula asked.

“None. This place is dead.”

“Good.” Tula stated, extracting a credit chip from a pocket. “Here’s the rest of the pay. You’ll let me know if anything else comes up?”

“Will do.” Zand replied easily.

“Want to stick together till we get back to the spaceport?”

“I mean, if you get killed I’m not getting any more pay out of this.” Zand nodded to her, and the two set off again, hiking through the brush back towards the city.

Nearly an hour passed with occasional conversation between the two, and the small spaceport was soon in sight.

“Not much here but smugglers.” Zand remarked.

“It worked out well for me.” Tula replied.

“The rest of the crew off working on things?”

“Captain found a job on planet that paid well. I’m due to meet them around sundown.”

“We made good time.”

“We did.” Tula said. “You’ll be in contact if you hear about anything else?”

“Of course.” Zand nodded.

“Good. See you around.”

The two parted ways, Tula heading towards the place where the Captain’s ship was docked.

When she’d left the Order, she’d confided in a few of her peers before leaving, telling them her plans, and one of them had been Blitz-Laufer. He’d been the one to put her in contact with Kash, the smuggler who she now worked under. The two had been friends as children, and Blitz had told her that Kash had helped him on missions before. Kash was glad to have a (former) Jedi on his crew, and Tula was appreciative of the low profile that she was able to keep as a member of a more covert group.

The ship was still waiting where it’d been when she’d left earlier, and as she approached one of the crew members greeted her. Tex’as–or Tex– the Wookie who traveled with Kash was standing guard, and he called a greeting to her as she approached.

“Good to see you.” Tula replied. “I’ve got what I came for. Does Kash need any help with the transaction?”

Tex shrugged, and Tula nodded. “They were going to be at the bar, right?”

Tex nodded again, and Tula looked up at the sun still high in the sky.

“I’ll go see if they need me. Can’t hurt.”

Tex vocalized an agreement, and Tula started away from the ship, heading to the same bar she’d met up with Zand in earlier. It was noisy as she entered, and she caught a glimpse of Kash sitting in the corner, talking with a group of Bothans. He seemed to have everything in control, so she moved to the bar, keeping watch as she did.

The object in her bag weighed on her, and the darkness from before was still lurking, boiling just under the surface. She wanted to look at it–to attempt to discover what she could learn from it–but she didn’t want to risk doing that till they were far away, safe in space.

Tula ordered a drink, something that wouldn’t cloud her mind and sat down to wait. The better part of an hour passed, Kash still debating fiercely with the Bothans, when a silence fell over the bar, starting at the door and progressing till an uneasy silence covered the entire establishment. Slowly, whispers began to pick up again, and the silence was broken, but Tula had seen who had entered the bar.

A Jedi–and one who she recognized–was here, and she was in possession of a Sith artifact that, if she was discovered with, would easily brand her as one of the enemy. While Tula had done what she could to learn to keep herself hidden and calm, she was well aware that she hadn’t perfected the art, and what she had with her would mark her as a Sith, something that she preferred  to think she wasn’t.

As the noise in the bar picked up again, Tula kept her eyes on the Jedi. If she was correct about their identify— and she doubted that she was wrong— then the Jedi who’d happened upon her was likely Kara Loay— someone who she’d called one of her closest friends within the order.

Tula felt her heart sink as Kara turned, hesitated, then, eyes lighting up in recognition, approached her, making a beeline in her direction.

“Tula!” Kara said, approaching her, pace even and measured.

“Kara.” Tula stated, feeling her breathing spike unwillingly. “It’s good to see you.”

“Good to see you too! I haven’t seen you since you left.”

“What are you doing here?” Tula asked, trying not to show her nervousness.

“Well, I’m assigned to the system, and I saw that AR 15 had docked here, and I had to come and see Kash!”

“And here I am, girls!” Kash announced, dropping an arm over Kara’s shoulder. “Kara. It’s been like. What. A few months?”

“Kash!” Kara declared delightfully. “How long are you here for?”

“Just finished up on my deal, so I’m ready to head out. You here for long?”

“They sent me to check this planet. There’s been rumours of dark energy here, so I’m supposed to confirm or deny and then report back in.”

That was her, Tula realized, and there was no way that Kara hadn’t sensed what she had at such a range, leaving her with the question of why the other hadn’t taken action yet.

“What are you going to tell them?”

“That depends on what I find.” Kara replied.

“Well, if you want to come talk, we can stick around till nightfall.” Kash offered. “I know I want to hear what everyone’s up to.”

“You know what? I’d love to do that.” Kara declared. “And Tula, I want to talk to you too.”

“Of course.” Tula nodded quickly. “First, I should probably make sure my contact is still—” She began, planning to divert to see if Zand was still in the spaceport.

“Hey, don’t worry.” Kara looked directly at her. “I’ve got your back. That doesn’t change just because you’ve left the order.”

“Thank you.” Tula said hesitantly. She honestly did doubt that Kara would attempt to mislead her, and if this was a trap of some sort, she’d have a fair shot at escaping.

“I need to finalize a few more things.” Kash said. “I’ll meet you two back at AR 15.”

“Perfect.” Kara nodded to Tula. “That gives us time to talk.”

“Sounds good.” Tula nodded to Kash.

“See you there!” Kara said, and she led the way to the door.

Once the two of them were outside of the bar, they walked in silence for a few feet.

“I can sense it.” Kara said carefully.

Tula didn’t reply, hand going to the pouch that held her lightsaber.

“And I’m not going to do anything for it— not now.”

“What?” Tula asked. “Why—”

“I don’t think that’s what you are.” Kara said. “I know what I sense, and I’m going to let you explain.”

“You’re not just going to attack?”

“No. I wouldn’t do that to a friend, and like I said, I don’t think you’d be a Sith, or that you’d fall so easily.”

Tula flinched as the other vocalized the word Sith, but she kept walking, trying to reason how she’d explain what was happening.

“I don’t know what I am.” She finally said, hesitating. “I don’t know if I want to be a Jedi— or if I even can.”

“Is that why you left?”

“I’m afraid.”

“So am I.”

“What?” Tula looked to the other. “But you know what they’ve said—”

“And sometimes what they say doesn’t always make sense. I’m not saying that I’m going to go straight to the dark side. I guess what I’m thinking is that just because you’re afraid of something doesn’t mean that you’re doomed, or that you’re bad for feeling that.”

“I don’t know.” Tula finally replied.

“And I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Some things you’ve just gotta figure out for yourself. Fear is natural— that doesn’t mean to let it control you, but it’s not healthy to just try to bury it. Also like, attachments? People like Kash are some of my best friends. Or you— I care about you, and I think that it’s important. Caring for people isn’t a weakness, it’s a strength.”

Kara stopped, looking to Tula, grabbing her hand. “And I’m not going to give up on you because you left. I trust you, and if you say that you’re not a Sith, that you have a way to explain this, then I’ll trust you for now. I mean like, if it comes out that I’m wrong I won’t, but for now, I trust you.”

“Thank you.” Tula said, discreetly trying to wipe her eyes as she did.

This, of all the reactions she’d imagined if she was ever to reunite with any of her past friends, was not one that she’d even ever considered. She’d imagined battles, rejection, or any number of conflicts, but acceptance and trust? This wasn’t what she would have thought. True, she did trust Blitz, but he’d been the one to introduce her to Kash in the first place, and so there was some degree of assumption that he didn’t completely disapprove of her leaving.

“I’ve got you.” Kara replied. “Now c’mon. I want to get back to AR 15 so I can see Tex and Rode. How are they both doing?”

“Good.” Tula said. “Tex is at the ship, keeping watch. I’m not sure where Rode is.”

“Tex owes me credits.” Kara said. “Last time I rode with Kash we bet on some of the cargo he was carrying working out, and I was right. Tex still hasn’t paid up!”

“You’ll have to tell me the story.” Tula said. “When we get back, you can try to get your money from Tex. I need to do a few things, then I’m good to catch up.”

“Solid plan.” Kara paused. “You will need to give me some explanation about the darkness— Again, I trust you, but if you’re a danger to others, I’ll need to report that.”

“I don’t think I am.” Tula said. “I’m just trying to learn more than what they taught us in the order.”

“Be careful, but I do think that’s fair—not that I’d tell anyone that.”

“Would you ever leave the order?”

Kara was silent for a moment as they walked.

“I don’t know. I think I could, maybe someday. I doubt  they’re going to ask for my advice about changes that need to be made, and I’m at least halfway sure that they stationed me here because they didn’t want me back on Telos getting in the way of things.”

“If you do, you could always come with Kash.”

“I could.” Kara mused, looking up as AR 15 came into view. “Tex! It’s been too long!”

The Wookie called a greeting back to her, and Kara sped up her pace, hugging the taller creature.

“You owe me money!” Kara’s voice was muffled by the Wookie’s fur, and Tex chuffed a evasive response.

“Don’t you give me that!” Kara said. “You know I won that bet.”

“I’m gonna go stash some stuff in my locker.” Tula said. “I’ll be back once that’s done.”

Tula walked past the other two, boarding the ship and making her way quickly to the storage space with her cot and locker. Once there, she stashed the holocron carefully in her locker, taking time to be sure it locked when she was done, then exited to return to see Kara on board, now animatedly chatting with Rode. The Ewok seemed thrilled to see her.

Kara glanced over to Tula, and then looked again, staring for a moment.

“There was an artifact here, wasn’t there?”

Tula shifted uncomfortably.

“I mean, that’s probably what you had. That’s why you feel so much better now that you’ve stashed your pack.”

“There was something.” Tula said. “I’m trying to learn.”

“Fair enough. Now, until Kash finishes up I want you to tell me everything that’s happened since you left.”

“Then you’ve better tell me what everyone’s doing back at Telos. I’ve been out of contact most of the time since then.”

“It’s a deal.”

“So you’ve been looking for artifacts?” Kara asked.

“I have.” Tula said. “Rode, mind if we talk in the mess?”

The ewok chirped an agreement, then waddled off to work on something.

“You’ve found something.”

“This is the first lead I’ve followed up that actually led to something. I found a bounty hunter who was willing to work with me, and since then she’s been searching. Kash is willing to pay me for my work, and in turn I pay her for any leads she gets.”

“Have you ran across any Jedi?

“No, and that’s a good thing. Once Zand— the bounty hunter— thought she’d found something, but by the time we got there it was long gone. I think that could have been the case,  but after that we were more careful.”

“What did you find now?”

Tula hesitated. She truly didn’t want to tell the other what she’d found, or how she’d found it, and she hoped that it wouldn’t be necessary.

“Something I can learn from. If it’s too much, Zand will take it to the Jedi and ask for a reward for it.”

“Sounds like you have a plan then.”

“I’m back!”

The two looked up and over, and Kara grinned as Kash entered the room.

“Kash! It’s been too long!”

“Kara!” Kash hugged the other, lifting her up and off the ground as he did.

“Kash-” Kara yelled as she was lifted up.

It was strange, watching the reunion, especially seeing a fellow Jedi express such emotion. They’d always been more controlled back at the temple, and to see Kara really and truly in a situation where she didn’t need to worry seemed better, and almost healthier than before.

Tula thought back on what Kara had said about connections and being afraid before. If she was being honest, a good portion of why she’d left the order had been her fear—it had nearly overwhelmed her at times, and that had led to a perceived inadequacy that had convinced her that she couldn’t belong with the jedi if she couldn’t control that.

She’d turned elsewhere seeking control after she’d left, and she had yet to find it, but perhaps there was promise in what Kara had said— maybe this wasn’t something to be pushed away, and instead something that she could learn to control with time.

On that note though, only time could tell.

* * *

 

Kara looked firmly into the hologram, meeting thee gaze of the Jedi who she’d been assigned to report to. She wasn’t quite sure why Locke was the one who she was reporting too about this, but nonetheless she’d made up her mind not to report Tula for now. She’d extracted a promise from the other to stay in contact when she could, and that would be enough.

She was well aware of just how badly this could go, but if she didn’t give Tula a chance to prove herself now, then she wasn’t sure how the other would ever find some semblance of balance. Her friend needed someone to believe in her, and so she would.

“So there was nothing there?”

Locke seemed skeptical, but Kara pushed on carefully.

“There wasn’t anything that I could sense. There might have been something there once, but whatever it was is long gone.”

The hologram fizzled slightly, then solidified as Locke spoke again.

“Keep an eye on the planet. If you sense anything, report it immediately.”

“Will do.” Kara replied carefully.

“They're going to keep you here for the time being, just to be sure nothing shows up. Keep working with the locals. They’ve requested a Jedi to oversee a local election–just to be sure power transfers peacefully.”

“I can do that.”

“Good to hear. We’ll be checking in often, and if anything comes to your attention, send a message quick.”

“Will do!” Kara said, chipper. She’d known that she’d be in the area, but really, she hadn’t expected to stay on planet, but really, she liked the wildlife, and it’d be good to make some connections where she wouldn’t be as closely watched by the council.

“Stay safe.” Locke glanced around him, then back to Kara. “Really, if you do sense anything— report it even if it might not be anything. We can’t risk letting a Sith get any sort of foothold.”

“Hey, don’t worry. I’ve got this.” Kara nodded.

“Good. We’ll check in later, and more assignments will be sent as we get them.”

“Roger that.” Kara said, and the hologram faded into static.


	2. Taking a Break

Kara woke up with the sun. This wasn’t necessarily by choice, but at this point she knew that nearly every day, she’d be awoken by the chittering of the bird like creatures that flopped from branch to branch in the garden outside the room that she’d been given as an honored diplomat sent by the Jedi. 

She wouldn’t really mind this, if it weren’t for the fact that she’d been stuck here doing this for nearly a year— helping with a local election had turned into helping with a larger one, and that had progressed to the point she found herself at now— helping with a planet wide senatorial election, providing protection and a voice of reason in the midst of it all. 

Today, however, was a better day, because today was the day she’d picked and had politely informed them all that she wouldn’t be available, because today was the day she’d chosen to start one of her week long patrols of the system to reassure the council that there indeed was no sign of any dark side users in the midst of them all. Despite her assurances that there was nothing there, they still seemed to be worried about the area, so Kara found herself patrolling from time to time to be sure. 

It was an extremely welcomed break to leave the political quagmire and venture out into the more wild planets of the system to see what nature had for her to see. She’d yet to sense what had the council so worried back on Telos, and at this point she’d take whatever she could get to leave this planet and go to the others. 

There was, in addition to the planet she’d been living on, two other habitable bodies in the system and a mining outpost that she’d need to check, and once that was done she’d be back to the grind, but she’d enjoy her travel while it lasted. 

Her first stop would be the same planet where she’d ran across Tula nearly a year ago. The other had stayed in contact, true to her word, even if some of her messages were cryptic at times. She’d since parted ways with Kash, working alone. This did worry Kara, but again, she had to trust the other. 

Kara made her way to her ship quickly. She’d made sure it was fueled up and ready to go the last night, so she wouldn’t have anything in her way to prevent her leaving, and so within minutes she was ready to set off and be off on her adventure. 

She’d have downtime once she was onboard and autopilot was safely working, but all Kara wanted now was to be in space, and so be able to gaze out and see what was around her. It had been about a month since she’d been off planet, and that was far too long to stay away from space. 

Of all the things that she’d learned as a Jedi, the ability to travel in space and to be the one to direct her own course there had to be one of her favorite things. Her family had always worked planetside before she’d joined the Jedi, and Kara could still remember the first time that she’d left, staring out into the sky from a port she’d found. There had been something indescribable about that, and that sense of wonder had never left her no matter how many times she’d been in space. 

Once she was offplanet, Kara felt herself relax. This was good, and being away from the bustle of the politicians down below was second only to being in space. She piloted her craft away from the planet and towards her destination, debating engaging autopilot for a moment before continuing onwards, steering the craft herself. It’d be a long flight, but now she wanted to be here, and to be the one in control of her ship, piloting it through space. 

Some time passed like that, peacefully passing through space, and by the time she reached the planet, she felt significantly recharged and ready to go. When she finally landed, she felt downright chipper despite the fact that she’d have to visit the cave where Tula had found her artifact. Even now that same miasma of the dark side lurked there, and it would be her least favorite part of her travels. 

Landing went smoothly, and she’d soon settled down on a docking pad reserved for dignitaries or other visitors of importance. She’d be able to leave her ship there without trouble, and they’d keep an eye on it for her to be sure no one disturbed it. 

That done, she quickly rented a speederbike, pack strapped firmly to her back, and she sped away, heading for the cave. This trip was uneventful as well, and despite the chill that hung in the air, Kara still enjoyed the brisk trip. 

As she drew closer to the cave, Kara slowed, keeping a careful eye on her surroundings. 

When she finally stopped, a feeling of unease slowly set in. Things were quiet, and as she stashed her bike and steeled herself to go in the cave, she started to notice that something was off. Where the wildlife had been noisy until she reached this place, the chirps and squeaks of animals who went largely undisturbed were absent here. True, some animals avoided the place, but for it to be this quiet wasn’t right. 

She stashed her bike, covering it up with some branches before she approached the cave, cautiously moving forward, and after a moment, she unclipped her lightsaber from her belt, holding it carefully. Weapon in hand, she moved forwards and into the cave.

Something was off. Kara looked down at the dust covered floor, spotting at least one set of footprints there, traveling inwards— but not back out. 

This wasn’t right. Kara stopped, backing out of the cave and moving back to her stashed bike. She extracted her comm, thinking for a moment. 

“...Tula, can you hear me?”

A long moment passed, then it beeped again, a message returning, staticky and broken. 

“...Yeah, what is it? I’m in a bit of a spot, so I can’t talk for long.”

“Are you on Marak?”

“No. Is something wrong?”

“I don’t know.”

“Be safe.”

“I will.”

Kara ended the call, looking back to the cave for a moment, then back to her comm. 

If someone really was in the cave— and there was a chance that it could just be a local—the temple would need to know. 

Kara hesitated, then clicked record. 

“I’m on Marak, doing my checks, and something isn’t right. I’ll report back in, but I wanted to be sure someone knew where I was going. Someone’s in the empty cave I found before, and I don’t know who.”

She paused. 

“I’ll report back in after, but I needed someone to know that I was going in.” 

Just as Kara clicked to send the message, beaming it back to her ship with instructions to be forwarded to Telos, she heard a twig snap behind her. 

She reacted instinctively, activating her lightsaber and dropping her comm, the yellow blade igniting as she turned, acting on instinct as her blade met another. 


	3. This is Fine.

“Blitz, we need you to leave.”

“What?”

“Kara ran into something on Marak, and we need you’re the closest. She hasn’t checked in for a few hours since she sent her message, and we can’t risk this going badly.”

“Do we know if she’s okay?”

“No.”

“I’ll leave now. What about the senator?”

“Take her with. We’ll send backup, but they can’t get there as quickly as you can.”

“Do we know anything?”

“There was a rumor of something there- a Sith artifact— nearly a year ago, but there wasn’t anything there when we looked.”

“We’ll go right away.”

Blitz ended the call, turning and turning towards his companion. 

“Looks like we’ve got a detour. You’re going to need to stay onboard while I check it out.”

“They think it’s a sith?”

Blitz looked to Aria Kell, the senator who’d been placed under his protection. “We don’t know what it is, and we’re the closest. There’s a chance it’s nothing, but it’s not something that they’re going to risk.”

Aria nodded. “So we’ll be late to the delegation meeting. Only the guard knows when we’ll be getting in, so I’ll message the Captain and tell him that we’re detouring.”

“I’ll go tell Kash. So long as he gets paid, he won’t care.”

“Hah. If I know Kash, he’ll be glad to keep us on board for longer.” Aria remarked. 

“Probably.”

Blitz stood, making his way to the cabin quickly. 

“Kash.” He said. “We need to detour to Marak. Something’s gone wrong, and Kara was there.”

“What?” Kash turned, frowning slightly. “Do we know what happened?”

“No. Jedi business.”

“...You’re sure you don’t know anything else? Like why there?”

“I don’t.”

Blitz could tell Cache was lying.  Blitz sighed, looking at him firmly. 

“Kash, what do you know.”

“Nothing! I’m just wondering why there, or what could’ve happened!”

“Whatever you know could be something that could help Kara.”

Kash looked away, turning to adjust the ship’s course. Blitz watched as he shifted it to head for Marak, waiting for him to speak.

“When Tula rode with us, we stopped there. She’d paid a bounty hunter to help her find something there, but when we were there we ran into Kara. She’d just come to the system, and she talked with Tula about it—in private. I don’t know what it was, and I’m no Jedi.”

“What?”

“Tula found something here. I don’t know what.”

“And Kara didn’t report it?”

“I don’t think so. I was there for part of the conversation, and it didn’t sound like she was.” Kash paused to look to Blitz. “I don’t really feel that I should tell you what they talked about. Most of it was private.”

Blitz was frustrated. He couldn’t see why Kash didn’t understand that whatever had been said needed to be shared now, as this information could provide insight into whatever the situation was on Marak. Still, if Kash wasn’t willing to talk, he did have someone else who he could try to get the information out of. 

“I’m sending a message to Tula. If you decide to tell me what they said, you know where to find me.”

“Fine! But a secret is a secret, and I’m not ratting them out.”

Blitz didn’t respond, storming out of the cabin, extracting a datapad from a pocket as he did. He opened up  space facebook  a message, typing a few quick lines of text. 

_ “Heading to Marak. Not sure if you’ve still got access to this channel. Kara in trouble, respond if possible.” _

It’d send to the channel that she’d given him when she left, and if she saw it, then maybe it’d shed some light on the subject. Until that happened, he’d need to prepare for what he might see upon landing, and just what he might be facing when they did. 

When they did land, nearly a day later, Blitz couldn’t sense anything unusual. There’d still been no response from Tula, and a message from Telos had told him that Kara still hadn’t checked in, and that specialists had been dispatched who would be there within the next few days. They’d also sent him the coordinates that Kara had last reported from, giving him some idea as to where to start his search. He’d also regretfully reported what he’d been told about Tula and Kara’s meeting, giving the meager details he’d been given.

He would be alone on this mission, the vanguard of the Jedi against whatever unknown force had taken root here.He left the ship and Kash and Aria behind, Kash reassuring him that all would be well on the ship, and that he’d protect Aria until other Jedi arrived. Aria had seemed somewhat insulted that she’d need protection, but Blitz trusted that she would listen and respect what had been told. 

Blitz checked the landing platforms, spotting Kara’s battered ship still there, letting him know that she still hadn’t left. Blitz knew that Kara wouldn’t leave it behind willingly, and that if it was here then she was either still on planet or she’d been forced to leave against her will. 

He rented a speederbike, heading to the coordinates shown to him, stopping a few minutes out. There was something— a feeling from the direction of the cave— so he started a message to send back to Telos, sending it on Jedi channels. Hopefully whoever had been sent would see it first, and they’d be able to follow his path when they reached him. 

“I’m here. The cave has something wrong, that’s for sure. Going to go in further. I’ll beam this back to AR 15, and from there Kash will forward it.”

“Negative.” 

Blitz was surprised to hear a voice coming back, and more so by its familiarity. 

“Locke?”

“We’re nearly in the area. Hang back and scope out the area, but don’t go any farther in.”

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m with Dune and a squad. It’ll only be a few hours till we land.”

“If Kara’s in danger, I’m not waiting.” Blitz countered. 

“Not a good idea. Council doesn’t want anyone else near it.”

“Fine.” Blitz said. “But I’m going to go closer, but I’ll stay out of the cave.”

“...Close enough. Be careful.”

“I always am.”

The call ended, and Blitz began to edge closer, extending his senses and attempting to feel what he could in the area. 

There didn’t seem to be anything other than the cave that was off at first, but as he searched farther, he began to notice something missing inside— an empty space where the force should’ve been flowing, but where instead there was an emptiness that he wouldn’t have noticed if he hadn’t stopped to feel. 

He took a few steps closer, hand on his lightsaber as he did. As the mouth of the cave came into view, he saw a figure standing in the entryway, facing him with hands carefully outstretched nonthreateningly.

“Tula.” Blitz stated tersely. 

“I’m not here to fight.”

“Why are you here?”

“I’m looking for Kara— the same as you.” 

“What did you find here?”

Tula faltered as he spoke, hesitating, then continuing to move out of the cave.  

“That doesn’t matter.”

“If it brought someone else here looking for it, then it does.”

“I’ve been trying to track Kara.” Tula ignored what he was saying. “I found her bike, and her comm. She wouldn’t just leave them.”

“Did you look in the cave?”

“I didn’t have time before you came.”

“They’re sending other Jedi to investigate.”

“I really shouldn’t be here when they come.  Listen, Blitz. The two of us are more than capable of taking on anything that might be in there, and I’m not sticking around to see what whoever the council sends thinks about my being here with all this happening.”

“They’re sending Locke and Dune. You trusted them, once.”

“And you think the two of them wouldn’t be suspicious? Or that I’m not going to be blamed? They’re sticking to the code no matter who’s involved. I know Locke isn’t going to take excuses.”

“I’m not going in the cave.”

“And if Kara’s there?” 

Blitz hesiated, reaching out with the force again, feeling for Kara in it, and as he did, he felt something—faint but present— farther into the cave.

“You lead the way.”

Tula nodded, relaxing and carefully removing her lightsaber from a pocket.  

“I know you’ve got my back.” She said, taking a few cautious steps into the cave. 

Blitz followed closely, his own lightsaber at the ready, feeling outwards with the force again. As he did, the blank—the space where he couldn’t sense— was there again, and he realized with a start that it was Tula— for some reason, he couldn’t sense her in the force. She’d discovered how to hide herself, or something truly horrible had happened since she’d left. 

This wasn’t a question to ask now though— this was one to ask later, when Kara was safe, and they were all sure that there were no Sith here. 

The farther in they went, the more Blitz felt that Kara had to be there, somewhere inside. He could sense her, and as they pressed on, he felt certain that something was wrong, and that it wasn’t just the darkness pressing in on them. 

Tula seemed to be just as uneasy as he was, and as they crept along, a horrible thought crossed Blitz’s mind. 

What if Tula was the one here who’d caused the trouble? She’d found something here, in cave that reeked of the dark side, and something about it had been enough to make Kara lie.

Blitz didn’t like the thought of having to hurt a friend, but if it did turn out to be Tula who’d prevented Kara from leaving then he didn’t like to think about what he would do.

If that was the case, then Blitz would do what he had to.

Tula stepped forwards and into the center chamber of the cave, exhaling sharply as she did. 

Kara was there, laying on the ground, looking battered and worse for the wear, and Tula rushed forward, Blitz on her heels. 

“What’s wrong?” Blitz asked brusquely as Tula kneeled, checking on Kara. 

“Blitz, I’m sorry.”

“What—” Blitz instantly activated his lightsaber, the green blade shining brightly in the dark of the cave. 

“I didn’t do this to Kara— But I talked with him, and he said that he’d leave the Jedi here alone if I gave him what I found...I’m sorry, and please— please tell Kara that I didn’t mean for anything to happen to her.”

“What are you talking about.” Blitz said bluntly. “Tula, I will fight you.”

“It’s not me you need to worry about.”

With those words, appearing from seemingly nowhere, another figure appeared in the cave— a fur covered creature— absent in the force just as Tula had been. Blitz leapt forwards, blade swinging instinctively as the other creature ignited his own blade, burning a painful red. 

Tula moved as well, moving away from Kara and towards the entrance of the cave, and Blitz let her go, focusing on the figure in front of him. He swung his blade at the enemy, prepared for a battle, when as abruptly as he’d appeared, the creature vanished into the darkness again, vanishing. 

Blitz felt for the absence in the force, spotting it again, leaving— moving away from the cave. He charged towards the exit, then paused, looking back to Kara. He needed to help her, and now, and be sure that she was safe before he chased after the others. She was the reason he was here, and he needed to help her now. 

“Kara.” He said. “Kara, can you hear me?”

Blitz reached out, feeling for Kara in the force. She was there, faint, but present, and Blitz checked her pulse, attempting to be sure that she was stable. What injuries she had remained to be seen, but for now he needed to report the fact that there indeed was a sith here, and that they’d been betrayed by one who’d once been one of their own. 

“Locke.” He said. “This is urgent— We’ve got a Sith here— I’m nearly positive at this point, and Kara’s hurt, and Tula—Tula Delok— helped whatever we’re fighting against. I don’t know when you’ll get this, but when you do, come to the cave Kara marked. There was something here— an artifact— and Tula had it. I’m with Kara, but I can’t tell how she’s doing.”

He sent the message out, beaming out to Kash and Locke, whoever’d get it first.

A moment passed, then his comm buzzed. 

“Blitz, you shouldn’t have gone in.” Locke spoke. “We’re going to try to land nearby. Focus on Kara, and don’t engage unless you have to.”

“I'm not leaving Kara now.”

“Good. Keep her stable, if you can.”

“Locke, I’m not a healer.”

“I know. Just do what you can, and don’t engage. We’ll handle this.”

“Fine. Just hurry.”


	4. Plan Number Riperoni

Tula ran through the cave, half expecting to see the glow of a lightsaber behind her as she did. Blitz would care for Kara first, and Tula would have time to do what she had to do to protect her friends. They wouldn’t thank her for what she’d done, but all that mattered was that Kara be safe. Blitz would be there to protect her now, and she’d face any Jedi or Sith she needed to if that was what it took to protect her friends. 

Stumbling as she did, she exited the cave, breathing heavily, waiting in evening light. 

“Where is the holocron?”

“I told you. It’s in my ship.” Tula stated. “I said I’d give it to you, and I will. You just need to let me get there.”

“Go quickly. Should they leave the cave before you return, I will kill them  both.”

“Follow me to my ship.” Tula said, gesturing to where she’d stashed the tiny craft in the woods a few minutes away. “You won’t have to risk fighting them if that’s the case.”

“They are no threat to me.”

“I promised I’d help you.”

“I see your fear.”

“Then follow me. You’ll know that I’m getting it.”

“Retrieve it.”

“I will.” Tula turned, sprinting towards the craft, dashing through the trees. She needed to reach it before Blitz managed to stabilize Kara, and she needed to move quickly.

There was a stitch in her side as she darted into the craft, brushing past Zand as she did, dropping down into the room where her belongings were stashed, grabbing her pack and extracting holocron from it’s careful wrapping. She stripped the wrappings off, then climbed back out.

“What is it?” Zand asked. “You didn’t come back—”

“You need to stay here.” Tula spoke quickly. “I’ll be back.”

She resumed her run, sprinting back to the creature that waited. 

It appeared in the evening light as she approached, and Tula held the holocron out, hands shaking as she did. 

The creature stared at it, slowly approaching and reaching a hand out to pluck it from her grasp. 

“There is no way that you can understand the power of what you have here.”

“I unlocked it. I learned.” Tula said, nervously shifting her feet, still out of breath. “You need to leave now.”

“I sense your fear.”

Tula swallowed. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“You could learn great things. I would let you travel with me.”

“You hurt my friend.” Tula said. “You hurt her, and I will not listen to you.”

“You think that they’ll take you back after this? You think that they would ever even imagine doing that?”

“I know that they won’t. But you need to leave, and I’m leaving too.”

“They’ll track you down, now.” The creature remarked absently. “They’ll find you, and send the shadows after you, and they will kill you.”

Tula shrank back as he spoke, hand on her blade. 

“Come with me, and you live.”

Tula looked back towards the entrance to the cave.

“I am going now. Follow if you will.”

Tula hesitated one last time, then stood her ground firmly. 

“I will not follow you.”

“Fine.” The creature shrugged, flickering and disappearing again.

Tula heard the buzz of a lightsaber flicking into existence, the light casting a glow behind her for a fraction of a second before she froze, staring down at the lightsaber that had pierced her stomach. 

“No—” The word escaped her lips, and then the blade was gone again, Tula falling to the ground. “Kara—Blitz—”

Feebly, she reached for her comm, managing to push to activate it, unsure as to what channel she was broadcasting on. 

“I—Blitz—he’s coming now— I’m sorry—”

“Tula, what?” The voice came from her comm. “What are you talking about? What did you do?”

“Sorry — ” Tula choked out. 

“Listen — Locke’s’ on his way with Dune and a squad. They’ll both be here soon, and I’ll have backup, and once Kara’s safe we’ll stop this all.”

“He was just — just wanted to get the holocron. Didn’t want t’ hurt anyone.” 

“You could’ve trusted us, but you chose not to.” Blitz retorted. “And I’m sorry, but I can’t trust you now.”

There was a beep, and the comm shut off, leaving Tula lying there, alone in the rapidly growing darkness. 

She’d have a shot if she could manage to contact Zand— a Mandalorian was more than a match for Jedi, and against a Sith they’d have a shot, and together with Blitz there’d be even more of a chance. 

Tula struggled to press the buttons on her comm again, fingers failing her as she did.

“Zand—” Tula struggled to call out to the other. “Zand!”

The ground was cold beneath her, and there would be no chance of her moving from this spot.

If Zand didn’t come—

Before Tula could finish that train of thought, she was there. Zand was bending over her, black armor barely visible in the night. 

“Go to the cave.” Tula coughed. 

“I”m not going to leave you here. You’re the one who I was paid to help, not them.”

Before either of them could continue, the ground rocked as a ship touched down, barely a safe distance away from the two of them. 

“Jedi.” Zand remarked. “They’ll get to your friends.”

Tula flinched at the mention of the Jedi, then forced herself to remember that she’d done what she’d needed to. Blitz and Kara would be safe now, and that was what mattered for now. There would be consequences that she’d face shortly, but based on how she felt, it wasn’t something she’d be conscious to face anytime soon.

“If they take you back, I’ll break you out.” Zand commented quietly. “I finish my jobs no matter what, but I’m not going to make it going against however many Jedi they’ve brought. If they’re here though, and you’ll live, then I’ll go for the cave.”

Tula didn’t respond, and Zand popped off a glove, checking for a pulse, then looked to the cave and then to the ship. 

“I could just leave.” Zand said, debating her options, and for a moment it seemed like she would, but then she paused, watching as the door to the ship opened. 


	5. Why was that last chapter so short, Neo? Huh? Why was it?

Locke stepped away from the controls of the ship as it touched down, heading for the doors, followed quickly by Dune and the other two Jedi who’d been sent with them— Baldur Bere—his brother— and El Fossin— a valuable fighter and strategist respectively.

“Blitz, what’s your status?” He asked before he opened the door.

“Still in the cave. I haven’t heard anything yet.”

“If we’re all here, I doubt a Sith’s going to challenge us all together.” El interjected. 

“Noted.” Locke nodded to her. “Blitz, can you move Kara?”

“I think it’s safe so long as I’m careful.”

“Good. Baldur will go in with Dune, and they’ll help. El and I will keep watch.”

“Careful. Whatever we’re up against can hide itself in the force, and it seemed to disappear at least once.”

“I doubt it’ll be able to hide from all of us if it’s still here.” Locke replied. “Heading out now.”

He opened the door, exiting with lightsaber in hand, and despite El’s reassurance, prepared himself for a fight. 

What he saw, wasn’t what he expected. Standing, facing them all as they descended from the ship was an armed Mandalorian, standing over—

“—Tula!” El called out, looking down. “Locke—I’m going to check on her.”

“Wait—” Locke began. “—Dune, Baldur.”

“I’m not here to fight.” The Mandalorian said. “I was here with Tula.”

El moved forwards slowly, moving to help Tula. Locke watched, and after a moment, he nodded to Dune and Baldur. 

“Go to Blitz and Kara.”

Dune nodded, glancing towards the Mandalorian for a long moment before he nodded, turning and jogging towards the cave, Baldur on his heels. 

“It’s about half a mile in.” The Mandalorian spoke. “They’ve got a bit of a walk ahead of them.”

“How do you know?” Locke asked. 

“I checked it out for Tula before she went in the first time.”

“How long ago was that?” Locke asked, watching as El checked Tula, tearing strips from her robes and starting the process of bandaging whatever had happened.

“Year or so.”

So they had been lied to. It’d been about that long ago that they’d sent Kara to investigate, and she’d lied about what she’d seen, or she’d just missed Tula, and based on what Blitz has said, it seemed like they’d been lied to. 

“El, let’s get her on board. We’ll take her to a medical facility when we take Kara.”

“I’m not sure she’ll make it.” El remarked, looking up to the Mandalorian as she spoke. “Are you going to let us take her?”

“For now.” She shrugged. “It’s easier to keep her alive if you take her.”

“We will be arresting her and taking her back to Telos.” Locke stated. “Until we discover what has taken place here.”

“Locke, I’ll need your help.” El said. 

“I’ll help get her onboard.” the Mandalorian nodded. 

“Right.” Locke nodded, wincing as he saw the mess left by whatever had happened. “El, what did it look like.”

“Lightsaber.”

“Blitz?”

“I don’t know. She sided with the Sith, it killed her when she wasn’t needed?”

“She’s dead?”

“Well, not yet. She will be if we don’t get her somewhere soon.”

“Let’s lift together.” The Mandalorian said. “Careful.” 

After a moment of scrutiny, Locke obliged. He, El, and the Mandalorian lifted Tula up and towards the ship, slowly moving her towards and onto the ship. 

“How long will you be on this planet?”

“Till we get the rest of the Jedi out. We’ll come back, later, once  we get these two to a kolto tank.” Locke answered. 

“I’ll do what I can to patch her up now.” The Mandalorian said, stripping off her other glove and reaching for a pouch. I would’ve started this, but your ship landed before I could do anything.”

She popped out a medpack, carefully beginning to apply its contents. 

“I’ll do what I can to stabilize her.”

“Good. El, stay here. I’ll go wait for Dune and Baldur.”

“I can do that.” El nodded, then looked to the Mandalorian. “Let me know what I can do to help.”

Locke watched the two for a moment longer, then turned and moved back to the entrance of the ship, keeping  watch. 

There was indeed a general sense of darkness here that felt deeply ingrained in the very fabric of the place. Something truly terrible had been done and kept here, and while whatever it was could be gone now, the darkness remained. 

With two injured under their care, they wouldn’t be able to do much to disperse that darkness. Another shadow would have to be dispatched to do it, and hopefully sooner than later they’d be able to fix this place. 

Locke didn’t like having to wait outside for the others, but he wouldn’t leave El alone with a stranger after what had happened here. 

Waiting would give him time to reach out and sense what had happened here, to try to tell whatever had taken place.

Locke reached out with the force, his determination creating a wall between himself and the darkness that surrounded him. It did indeed seem to center on the cave beyond, and again, he regretted that he couldn’t have traveled inside with Dune and Baldur. Still, what was done was done, and he would wait here.

Inside the ship, he could sense El there, a firm pillar of the light side of the force. The bounty hunter was more muddy-- a mix of the different sides of the force, both light and dark inside her. She wasn’t a Jedi by any means, but the force was still inside her as it was in all living things. Tula wasn’t a bastion of the light by any standard of that, and Locke was disappointed as he sensed the darkness that loomed inside of her even now. It hadn’t consumed her, but Locke had faced other Jedi before with Dune who’d fallen just as far and who’d had to have been stopped. 

It was difficult to lose a friend, and it seemed as if he had.

A few minutes passed in silence, Locke carefully observing his surroundings before the Mandalorian made her way out of the ship, boots clacking on the metal as she approached Locke. 

“I’ve done what I can. If she stabilizes, she does. If not, I did my best to fulfill my contract.”

“What did she hire you to do?”

“I’ll let her tell you that if she pulls through. I didn’t get where I am by ratting out my clients.”

Locke’s comm buzzed. 

“We’re nearly out.” Dune said. “We used a medpack or two on her before we went. It looks like it’ll take time, but she’ll be fine.”

Locke exhaled, relieved. 

“Did any of you see anything else?”

“No. I checked, and it’s empty. Nothing left here.” Dune replied. 

“Good. We’ll be ready.”

“Is the bounty hunter going to give you any trouble?”

“Not for now.” The Mandalorian spoke up in response. “I will be back for her, to finish the job, but not yet. I’ll wait to leave till you’re all out of here safely to go.”

“She’s not.” Locke replied. “Not for now, at least.”

“Good.”

A moment or two passed in silence, and then, from the cave, came Baldur, Dune, and Blitz, the three of them carrying Kara between them. Locke hurried over to them, lending a hand and heading towards the ship. The mandalorian watched them all in silence as they went, her gaze remaining on Dune for a second longer than the rest of them. 

As they loaded Kara onto the ship, the Mandalorian stepped back, moving a safe distance away and watching as it closed up. Locke watched, then turned away, moving to the pilot’s seat, Baldur settling in next to him after a few minutes. 

“Check where the nearest republic aligned facility that’ll have medical facilities.”

“Will do.” Baldur said. “El and Blitz are keeping an eye on those two. Dune’s on call with the council, reporting what we saw.”

“Good.” Locke said as he piloted the ship up and away from the planet below. He was glad to be leaving it and the feeling of darkness below behind as he went, and the sooner it was completely gone and taken care of, the better for everyone involved. 

“Did Tula have her lightsaber?”

“...No, I don’t think so.” Baldur replied. “Not that El saw.”

“After what she’s done I doubt the council would let her carry one, member or not after this.”

“What did you get out of it all?”

“She found something there, the Sith wanted it.”

“Do we know what?”

“No. We’re going to have to wait until either of them wake up.”

“So we’ll need Kolto. There’s mining complex on one of the moons where  we could go. They’re friendly with the Republic and close.”

“Solid plan. Set that as our destination.”

“Want me to fly for you?” 

“Not really.” Locke replied. “Dune’s got this, and he has all the information I’ve got-- and he’s seen the inside of the cave, and I didn’t make it inside.”

“Alright.” Baldur nodded easily. “Here we go.”


	6. Waking Up

Kara woke up slowly. Her surroundings became apparent in degrees, and she shifted, looking at the unfamiliar barebones room. 

“She’s awake.” Kara looked at the blurry figure standing watch. It took a moment to place the Chiss, as he wasn’t someone she’d personally worked with much before. 

“Baldur?”

“Yup.”

“What’re you doing here? What am I doing here?”

“I’m with the group they sent to check on you. You’re at a mining facility in the system. You’ve been out of the Kolto tank for a few hours now.”

Kara pushed herself up into a sitting position. Baldur moved to her side, waiting carefully. 

“What happened?” Kara asked.

“We’re hoping that you could tell us that.” Locke entered the room, nodding to his brother as he crossed to sit down across from Kara. “Now that you’re up. Blitz told us what he saw, but our other witness isn’t in any shape to help us--well, not yet.”

“Who do you mean?”

Locke and Baldur exchanged a look. 

“Want me to go wait with Dune?”

“Sure. Call if you see anything, even if it’s small.”

“Will do.”

Kara struggled to remember what had happened to lead her here. There had been something that she’d heard, and then acting on a feeling to ignite her lightsaber, and then--

Kara stood up immediately, swaying slightly as she did. “Locke, there’s a Sith-- Something came for the cave, even though it’s been empty--”

“Hey, careful.” Locke took a step towards her, but Kara waved him off. 

“I’m fine, but Locke, we need to be careful. Whatever it is-- it’s able to disappear and reappear-- I know, I fought it.”

“What did what you saw look like?”

Kara furrowed her brow. 

“It had fur.” Kara started, trying to remember what she’d seen. “Fur, and then-- red eyes? I’m not sure. I don’t remember much, and the fight didn’t last long.” She shivered. “I thought I was dead.”

“Were you afraid?” Locke asked cryptically. 

Kara didn’t respond for a moment. “I doubt that anyone wouldn’t have been afraid in that situation.”

“A Jedi shouldn’t give in to fear.”

“Right, and once you’ve been in the same situation against a Sith and you still haven’t been afraid, I’ll let you lecture me about it, Locke.” Kara retorted. “Did anyone get my lightsaber?”

“It’s on the ship. We’ll get it back to you once this is all settled out.”

“What happened?”

“Blitz came to help. He was in the area, transporting the Senator undercover when the message went out.” 

“So he found me? And the Sith, I’m assuming?”

“Well, something like that.” Locke said evasively. “I need you to tell me if you remember anything else.”

“No, I can’t.” Kara finally said, worried. Was she forgetting something?

“Follow me.” Locke nodded to her. “There’s something you need to see and understand.”

Kara spotted her boots in the corner, moving and slipping them on. “What is it?”

“We’ve reason to believe that a former Jedi was aiding the Sith.”

“Oh-” Kara realized that there was a good chance she knew who he meant, and that if he was speaking about Tula, then she couldn’t even be sure that they could trust the other.

“Tula Delok.” Locke said, looking ahead as they walked. “Blitz told us that he learned from Kash that you’d had some business here with her when you were first sent to investigate. 

Kara realized how fragile her position now was as Locke spoke, and she looked tensely to him. Just why hadn’t they given her the lightsaber back yet?

“I did talk to her then.” Kara said. “And I trusted her.”

“A mistake.”

“I hope not.”

Locke punched in a series of keys on a door ahead and it opened, revealing a circular room with a few Kolto tanks, only one occupied. A few other Jedi were here, and Kara recognized Baldur, then Dune, and El. 

“A Master is coming here.” Locke stated. “To aid in the investigation, and to decide what they’re going to do with Tula.”

Kara looked into the tank that held Tula, then back to Locke. 

“What happened?”

“We don’t know everything.” Dune said. “All we know is what Blitz said until Tula’s well enough to wake up.”

“Blitz was here?” Kara asked, confused. 

“He was the closest when you called for help, so the council sent him in.” Locke said. “He’s gone since then, back on the mission he was given before all this.”

“What did he say?” Kara asked. 

“He said that he arrived and that Tula was already there, in the cave.” Dune began. Kara noted how they were all watching her closely, waiting to see her reaction to whatever was about to be told. “They went in together. You were there, and the Sith was too. Tula and the Sith ran, and Blitz stayed to help you.”

“Blitz also said that he couldn’t sense either of them in the force.” Locke added. “She didn’t know that when she left.”

“Why would she end up like this if they were working together?”

“Crisis of faith?” Baldur offered. 

“Kara has a point.” El spoke from where she stood. “Why would a Sith turn on an ally unless she went against them?”

“Then we’ll see what happens when we talk with her.” Locke said. “Kara, Dune and I need to speak with you privately. 

“We’ll keep watch.” Baldur stated. El nodded as well, and then the two exited the room, the door closing behind them. 

“We need to know what Tula took from the cave.”

“What?” Kara asked, lying. “What do you mean something that she took?”

“We know that she took something.” Dune said. “And someone told us that you knew she took it.”

“Look, Kara.” Locke began. “We want to make this as easy as possible, but if you’re going to make this hard, then we will treat you as an enemy. You’re a friend, and I don’t want to do that.”

“She found something there.” Kara said after a moment of silence, debating her options. If Tula was truly hadn’t betrayed them, and she told them the truth about what she’d found, then they’d certainly believe her to be a traitor, no matter what Kara said. “I’m not sure what it was.” Kara finally finished. That wasn’t completely true, but it wasn’t enough of a lie to be detected. 

“Why didn’t you report this?” Locke asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Because I don’t think that she wanted to hurt anyone.” Kara said truthfully. “I think that she’s just trying to discover where she stands with the Jedi, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing.”

Dune and Locke exchanged a look. 

“Sith artifacts affect their users negatively.” Dune said after a moment. “Even if she didn’t want to hurt anyone, if she was close enough to something like that for long enough it could have changed her.”

“And even if she was trying to find her place, she shouldn’t be looking for Sith artifacts.”

Kara listened to the others’ words, growing irritated as they did. 

“Look.” She said. “I disagree. Fight me. I stand by what I said then, and if I find out that I’m wrong when she wakes up, then I’ll apologize and think about what I did and if I need to change what I think, I will, but until that happens I’m standing by my friend.”

Locke and Dune exchanged yet another look, followed by Locke looking hesitantly to Kara before he seemed to steel himself, speaking to Kara.

“Fine.” He seemed tired, and Kara was reminded that he’d been friends with Tula once as well. “But the council is recalling you to Telos after all this. Kara, we want to be able to trust you-- we really do. But so long as you’re going against the council, you won’t be stationed where you were, and you’ll be kept on Telos where the council can keep an eye on you.”

“Fine.” Kara replied. “Are you going to give me back my lightsaber, or is that still something that’s off bounds?”

Locke sighed. “Yes, we’re not going to keep that from you. I’ll walk over and get it with you now.”

“Good.” Kara didn’t meet his apologetic gaze, striding alongside him as they walked, refusing to acknowledge him as they went. She understood where he was coming from with his perspective on what she’d done, but she just couldn’t agree with him about what he thought. 

She meant what she’d said. If it did turn out that Tula had turned on them, then she would apologize and learn from what she had done, but even with that, she still felt that trust was the most important thing to consider here. Just because a friend left the order didn’t mean that they were hopeless or lost-- just that they were taking a different path for a time. 

One that if she was being honest, Kara found herself more and more drawn to.  She just couldn’t understand the level of detachment that the Jedi required. Connections offered strength, not weakness, and in this situation she hoped that her connections with those around her hadn’t been misplaced. 


	7. Judgement and Escape

Locke watched as the other ship landed in the docking bay, amongst the other ships that passed to and from the mining facility,  waiting to approach until the door to it had opened. They’d been informed that a Master had been sent, but the message had been brief and unclear as to who had been sent, but as he saw who had been sent Locke was reminded not for the first time as to the severity of the situation. 

Jedi Master Morwel-- the same Jedi that he and Dune reported to as Shadows-- was descending from the ship. Locke and Dune both bowed to her, Morwel nodding to them as she approached. 

“Good. You’re both here. Has she woken yet?”

“They said in the medbay that it’d be safe to take her out today.” Dune answered. 

“We’ve been waiting till you came.”

“Good. What have you learned from Kara?”

“Nothing other than what we reported.” Locke replied. 

“I’ll speak with her before we return.” Morwel said as she strode towards the medbay, walking alongside Dune and Locke. “She’ll be returning to the Temple with me when I go to report to the rest of the council. Other Shadows have been called in to check the cave and to be sure there’s nothing there, and we’ll all be on high alert. “

Locke nodded to her. 

“I’ll head to the Medical center and tell them that we’re ready to wake her up.”

“Good. Dune, you tell me about the rest of the situation.”

“Will do.”

Locke walked ahead of the other two, heading for the medbay. When he reached the spot, Kara was already there, sitting across from the droid that was checking on the burns she’d received in her fight with the sith. There’d be some scarring there, despite the time in the Kolto tank. Lightsabers did a lot of damage, and there were times like this when Locke was reminded of just how nasty they could be. 

“We’re ready to wake her up.” Locke said, nodding towards the viewing window that peered into the room with the Kolto tanks. 

The droid stared at him for a moment then nodded. 

“I will finish this, and then we will begin the process.”

“So you’re waking her up now.” Kara said.

“Yes. Morwel’s here, and she’s going to want to talk to you too.”

“About what?”

“What you’ve decided not to tell us.” Locke sighed. “Kara, look. I don’t want this to be bad for you, but you really need to tell us what happened.”

“I already said that I’m not saying anything till Tula wakes up.”

“Well, she’ll be waking up soon, so I hope you decide to tell us soon. It’s better to admit that you made a mistake than to try to hide it.”

“I don’t know if what I did even was a mistake yet.” Kara retorted. “And I won’t till we hear from Kara.”

“Fine.” Locke said, crossing his arms. “Kara, I’m just trying to help you.”

“And I’m just trying to not betray a friend.”

“And I’m done.” The droid interjected, somewhat irritably. “You can be on your way then, and we’ll get started on this.”

Kara stood, leaving the room without another glance at Locke. This was difficult, Locke had to admit, to see individuals he’d considered to be friends pitted against him, but he’d follow the code no matter what the cost was. It was in place for a reason, and he wouldn’t forget that, unlike it seemed that his past friends had. 

The process of waking up Tula took enough time for Morwel and Dune to arrive, the two of them entering the room as she woke up, the droid quickly draping robes over her as they did. 

When she woke, Locke sensed her fear, then as quickly as it’d begun, it disappeared, vanishing in the force as she looked to them all, sitting on a bench. 

“Well?” She challenged them all. “What happened?”

“We were hoping that you could educate us.” Morwel said, voice careful and even. “You were thought to have been allied with a now known Sith, and to have went against the Jedi code.”

“I’m not a Jedi. Not anymore.” Tula nodded towards them. “I don’t answer to that.”

“Then you’re under arrest until further investigation can prove your innocence.” Morwel said. “If you do not answer to the code, then you will be viewed as a threat. 

Tula stood, hands pressed against where Locke knew she’d been injured. “And you’re going to make me stay?”

“If that’s what’s necessary.” Morwel said. “We would hope that the respect you once held for the code would convince you to coming willingly, but if what seemed to have happened is true, then I suppose that we can’t expect any sort of cooperation from you.”

That comment caused a spike of emotion to come from Tula, breaking her composure. 

“Fine. I went to help Kara after she called me. I arrived, something was there. I did what I could to be sure she’d be safe.”

“So you’ve managed to delude yourself into believing that what you did was right? That siding with a Sith, no matter how temporary that alliance, could be acceptable?”

“If it meant keeping Kara alive, then yes, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.” Tula responded. 

“What did you find there? What did you do to convince Kara to lie?”

“That’s none of your business.” Tula retorted shakily. “I’m no longer part of the order, and I don’t answer to you.”

“Then you will be taken back to stand trial before the council, as will your ally.”

“Kara didn’t meant to harm anyone.” Tula was still standing, and after a moment she sank back down to sit on the bench. The droid resumed its checks as she did. “She just wanted to help me.”

“And until we know what you did, we can’t trust either of you.”

Locke could see that Tula was afraid, and that it was showing, but Morwel seemed to be done for the moment. 

“Locke, stand guard here. Be sure she doesn’t leave. Dune, fetch Kara. I need to report to the rest of the council.”

Locke took up position by the door, refusing to look at Tula as he did. Dune and Morwel left the room, parting ways as they went. 

\---

Dune exited the room, internally puzzling over what he’d had revealed to him thus far. Although he’d never admit it to Locke, he saw the logic in what he’d heard about Tula and the artifact. If something was found, it made sense that someone should try to learn what they could before they destroyed it. 

They would do this, if they could, but more often than not artifacts were simply destroyed, and he’d been there as this happened at least once previously. He’d never admit this to Locke, but the feeling still stood. 

He wasn’t sure where to look for Kara, and after a moment of debate, he headed towards the docking bay where their ship was parked. Kara had taken to lurking in the ship when she wasn’t in the medbay, and so he’d look there for her first. She wouldn't want to talk to Morwel, and Dune was pretty sure that Kara would argue with her, Council member or not, but that wasn’t any of Dune’s business. 

There was another new ship, unfamiliar, in the docking bay when he arrived, and Dune tried to remember if he’d heard about any other ships that were set to be arriving. Approaching it slowly, he considered it, looking at the battle-scarred ship, taking in the numerous scorch marks that covered it’s hull. 

Even as he examined it, he could sense someone behind him. Dune moved immediately, turning to find himself face to face with the end of a blaster.

“Move.” The Mandalorian he’d glimpsed days previously when they left the planet with Kara and Tula was facing him now. 

Dune moved one hand towards his lightsaber, then changed his mind, letting it hang at his side instead. 

“I’m not here to fight you.” An idea came to him as he spoke. “I do want to ask you questions.” 

“And I’m not here to talk.” She replied, pointing the gun at him again, the gestured towards the rest of the facility. “Tell me where they’ve got Tula and I’ll set this to stun.”

“If I help you, can you tell me what she found?” Dune asked. “Are you going to go after it?”

The Mandalorian hesitated. “No. What’s taken is already gone. There’s something else.”

“If I was to help you, could we try to get it back?” Dune said. “We could get it back and study it, and then destroy it after we learned what we could.”

“Why would I trust you?”

“Because there’s a member of the Jedi council on the station, and there’s no way that you’d make it past her and the rest of the force alone.”

The Mandalorian weighed her options, then slowly nodded.

“Stay in front of me, and don’t make any sudden moves. 

“There’s a Jedi in the medbay who’s going to try to stop you. If you let me go ahead, I can get him to leave.” Dune said evenly. “If you don’t want to fight, I can help.”

The Mandalorian weighed her options silently. 

“I’m staying in range. One wrong move, I shoot.”

“Good.” 

Just because Dune differed in what he wanted done in this situation, that didn’t mean that he wanted to harm anyone. Besides, if he sided with the Mandalorian, he was more likely to be sure everyone made it out alive. 

This was definitely the right option here. Morally right and everything. 

Dune definitely wasn’t trying to convince himself that he was in the right here. He was perfectly accepting that he was betraying the cause in order to chase after a Sith artifact. (Something that, if he was being honest, seemed more right than anything else he’d ever done.)

This was good. 

Dune started the slow walk towards the medbay, the Mandalorian at his back the entire way. When they were close enough, he nodded to her. 

“You can keep an eye here.” Dune said. I’ll send him after Morwel, and that’ll get him out of the way.”

The Mandalorian nodded, taking up her position around the other corner. 

“Don’t doubt that I’ll shoot.” She spoke quietly. “You might be able to take me, you might not, but I will kill you if you turn on me.”

“I’m not going to need to find out.” Dune replied evenly, moving to the door of the medbay. 

He opened the door, nodding to Locke as he entered. 

“I found Kara. Morwel wanted to talk to you, and she said to keep watch here while you went. She’s in the far hall where we’ve been meeting.” 

Dune was careful to speak easily and calmly, meeting Locke’s eyes as he did, well aware that one wrong move from him could very easily end with a blast to the back from the Mandalorian. 

“Right, got it.” Locke nodded to him, turning and moving away down the hall and away from the medbay. 

Dune didn’t breathe a sigh of relief till the other was completely gone. The Mandalorian entered the room behind him after he did.

“Zand?” Tula said, confused. “Dune?”

“We’re breaking you out.” The Mandalorian-- Zand-- declared. “I’m finishing out this contract.”

“Good.” Tula looked to the medical droid. “Are you done with your checks?”

“Not yet.” It huffed. “I’ll need to at least--”

“We’re going now.” Zand said, moving towards Tula, edging the droid aside and helping Tula up. 

“Did you get my lightsaber?” Tula asked. 

“No. I didn’t have time to grab it.”

“It’s with Locke.” Dune offered. 

“Why are you here?” Tula asked, confused. 

“I don’t think that Locke’s right about what he’s doing with the artifacts, and it sounded like that if we found it we could do more with it than if we just destroyed it.”

“You realize that if you ally with us, they might not let you back?”

Dune paused, pondering what had been said for a moment. 

“Fair enough.” He nodded. “I know what I’m doing.”

“Then let’s go.” Zand ordered. 

“Not without me.” Another voice spoke. Dune turned with Zand, looking to the door. 

Kara was standing there, determined. “I’m leaving too. I should have done this sooner.”

“Do you trust her?” Zand asked, passing Tula a spare blaster. 

“Absolutely.” Tula replied. 

“Then let’s go.” 

\---- 

Locke walked down the hall towards where Dune had told him Morwel would be waiting. 

Something had been off with Dune, but Locke hadn’t thought too much about it, but the more that he walked, the more that he felt that he should turn back and check with the other. There was an uneasiness in the air that he didn’t like, and that shouldn’t be here. 

He stopped, looking down the hall towards where Morwel would be waiting, then turned back. He’d run to check on Dune, and then back to Morwel. She could wait a few minutes, and if he hurried, she wouldn’t know he’d delayed. 

Locke turned, jogging down the hall and back towards where he’d come from, and soon he was back outside the medbay, entering to see the medical droid puttering around as irritably as a droid could, Dune and Tula conspicuously absent. 

“Where did they go?” Locke asked the droid, reaching for his comm as he did.

“They all left.” The droid stated. “Coming in here, disturbing my work! All of them clattering around.”

“Dune, where are you. Tula’s gone.” Locke said into his comm, steely resolve setting in as he moved out of the medbay. “Report now.”

There was a moment of silence, then Dune answered. 

“I’m moving Tula to the ship. Morwel said that she wanted to leave as soon as possible.... Did you meet with her yet?”

“No.” Locke replied. “I haven’t.”

“You should probably hurry. You don’t want to keep her waiting.”

Locke had no reason to distrust Dune. He couldn’t imagine why the other would lie, and yet there was- something. Something keeping him from walking to Morwel, and that instead guided his footsteps towards the docking bay, flat out running now. 

“Morwel.” He spoke into his comm as he went, breathing slightly heavily. “I think something’s wrong. I’m going to the docking bay.”

He didn’t know if the other would get his message in time, so he tried a second channel. 

“Baldur.” He said. “Head to the docking bay and be ready for trouble.”

“What is it?” His brother responded nearly instantly. 

“I don’t know.” Locke said, rounding the final corner at a sprint to see the small group composed of Kara, Dune, Tula and the Mandalorian from before boarding an unfamiliar ship.

“I’ve got this.” Kara broke away from the group, igniting her lightsaber and facing Locke. 

Locke ignited his own blade, slowing to a walk. “Kara, I need you to stop. Don’t go against the code.”

“Locke, the code’s wrong.” Kara said slowly. “I don’t believe it, and I don’t think that I have in a long time.  I’m sticking with my friends.”

“Kara, we were friends.” Locke said, trying to think of what to say to reason with her. “Listen. El, and Baldur. Blitz. They’re all your friends, and you shouldn’t go against them.”

“And I’m not going to fight them unless I have to. I only want to leave.”

“You’re helping a fugitive.” 

“And what am I now, Locke?” Kara asked. “What am I if I choose not to help you?”

“Then you’re someone I’ll have to stop.” Locke took a few steps closer. The others had boarded the ship, and it’d begun to power up, Kara still standing guard by the door. 

Locke charged forwards, racing towards Kara as she braced herself, but before he could reach her the ships gun fired, missing him completely as he moved towards Kara, firing somewhere above his head. 

He barely had the time to process what had happened and how they’d missed him before something came plummeting down from above. Locke through himself to the side, the heavy metal that came plummeting down towards him knocking him to the ground and pinning his arm painfully below it, cutting into the flesh as it did. 

His lightsaber flew from his hand, lost somewhere in the wreckage. 

“Locke!” Baldur was here, but too late. 

Locke could hear the sound of the ship blasting away and out of the facility, barely able to focus outside of the pain. 

“Locke, I need you to hang in there.” 

Baldur was speaking to him now, and Locke had enough presence of mind to process that his brother was at his side before his vision faded to black, pain overcoming him. 

\---

Kara stumbled back from the entryway, trying to keep her balance as the ship flew away from the mine. 

“You’re gonna want to find a seat now.” The Mandalorian called from her seat. 

Kara looked to her, then around the small vessel, taking a seat as she deactivated her lightsaber, trying not to think about what she’d just seen happen to Locke.

“We’re going to jump to hyperspace as soon as possible, but it might be a rough flight if they follow us.” The Mandalorian said. Dune had settled himself in the copilots seat next to her, watching carefully as she piloted the ship. 

“Where’s Tula?” Kara asked, looking around the cabin. 

“Down the hall. She’s laying down.”

“Locke’s.” Kara swallowed. “He’s not going after us, and I doubt that Baldur will follow either.”

“What did you see?” 

“He’s pinned.”

“Maybe he’ll get lucky and lose an arm.” Dune said thoughtfully. “He’s always been jealous of the metal arms that they use.”

“Dune, that’s-- that’s really morbid.” Still, Kara couldn’t help but laugh a little at that. “I’ll go check on Tula.”

“Once we make the jump to hyperspace, we can all get together and I’ll let Tula explain where we’re going.” 

“I’ll help her here when we get going.” Kara nodded. 

“Solid plan. You two-- I’m Zand.”

“Kara.”

“Dune.”

“Nice to meet the two of you.”

“I’m gonna go check on Tula now.” Kara said, turning. She went back to the entryway, looking to the other path that led the other way. A few steps along and it opened into another room. Tula was there, sitting on the floor, slumped against the wall. 

“You okay?”

Tula was silent for a moment. 

“As good I can be. I’m glad that Zand came for me, but it wouldn't have hurt if she’d waited for a little while longer. ”

“Any longer and they would’ve shipped you back to Telos.”

“True.” 

The ship shuddered, then lurched forwards, sending Kara skidding a few feet back as it charged into hyperspace.

“Zand said that you’d tell us what’s happening now.”

“I will.” Tula said. “I owe you all that much.”

Kara offered a hand to the other, and Tula took it, slowly standing. 

“You’ve got your lightsaber?” Tula asked Kara.

“Yeah, they gave it back after I woke up.” Kara replied as they walked, slowly making their way to the cockpit. 

“Good. You and Dune’ll be good with those if the Sith comes back.”

“So we’re really up against a Sith?”

“I think so.”

Kara entered the cockpit. Dune and Zand were speaking quietly, stopping when the others entered. 

“So I think I owe everyone an explanation.” Tula said awkwardly. “About what happened. The whole story. After I left the order, I traveled with Kash for a while. Blitz introduced me before I told the council I was leaving, and I stuck with him.”

“I had an idea. I wanted to learn more, about what the Jedi didn’t teach. I was- I was afraid. And I knew what they said about fear, but I don’t know how I could exist without that. Being afraid-- and fear-- it’s just how I feel. How I felt.”

“I’m gonna side with the Jedi on this one.” Kara said. “That doesn’t sound healthy.”

“Maybe it isn’t. Doesn’t make things any easier. I’m not meant to be a jedi, so I started looking other places. Kash paid me for helping him with missions, and so I put out a call, quietly. I found Zand, and I asked her for help. She was willing to work for pay, and so she started searching for Sith artifacts.”

“What did you find?” Dune asked, curious. 

“Nothing, at first. Everything right up until a year ago, I found nothing. Then Zand heard of something else.”

“That’s when I ran into you.” Kara offered. 

“It was. In that cave, I found something else.” Tula paused. “I found a holocron. I… learned things. I don’t know how to describe what I learned, or what I saw.”

“You found a Sith holocron?” Dune asked, incredulous. 

“I did. It took time to unlock it, and when I did, I found a map, among other things. It had instructions that said they’d lead somewhere. I contacted Zand, took what I’d saved up from helping Kash and left. We’ve been following the trail till recently. We were in the system checking something, and you called.” Tula nodded to Kara. 

“Zand agreed to let me check in on you. When I came, you’d already lost. I bargained with the Sith. I said I’d give it what I had found if it’d leave the Jedi who came alone. I was going to go get the Holocron with Blitz came, but instead the Sith and I-- we made a plan. Blitz helped you, and we ran. I gave him the Holocron, and he--”

“He tried to kill you.” Zand said.

“He nearly did.” Tula said. “And so now we’ve got to get to whatever he’s after before he unlocks the Holocron.”

“It’ll probably be easier for a Sith than it was for you.” Dune stated. 

“You’re probably right.” Kara stated. “But we’ve got a team-- three Jedi together and a Mandalorian That’s pretty good.”

“The Sith could disappear. I don’t know what he did, or what he was.” Tula stated.

“So we get there before him then, and we can use what we find to fight him.” Dune said. 

“That’s the plan.” Tula said. 

“I don’t like the idea of using it.” Kara stated. “But I’ll stay with you till the Sith is defeated.”

“Of course.” Tula nodded. “I should probably go lay down.”

“We’ll be in hyperspace for a few days either way.” Zand stated. “Our next stop is a few systems away, and it’ll take time to get where we need to go.”

“How do we know that the Sith won’t already be there?”

“The Holocron only led to another empty shrine. It led to another, and another after that. They were all far enough apart that I think we can assume that it’ll be awhile before he catches up.” Tula explained, swaying slightly. 

“You should go lay down.” Zand said.

“I will.” Tula nodded. “I’ll be back later.”


	8. Indecision

“Blitz, the council wants you to report on what you saw with Kara.” Blitz looked over from where he was stationed to see Baldur approaching. “I’ll stay with the Senator till you get back.”

Blitz nodded, looking over to where Aria was standing, talking with her assistant. 

“How long do they need me for?”

“I’m not sure.”

Blitz sighed. 

“I’ll return the temple then.”

“Good luck. You should check on Locke for me while you’re there if you’ve got the chance.”

“I will.” Blitz nodded, then turned and left the room, leaving the Senator behind under Baldur’s watchful gaze. He’d been called and alerted that Baldur was coming, but he hadn’t known exactly when the other would arrive from the temple. 

* * *

The transit to the temple gave him plenty of time to think about what exactly he needed to tell the council, and Blitz quickly made his way to the council chambers, waiting outside for the council to call him in. Locke would wait till after he checked in and reported. He’d heard rumors about what had happened to the other while he’d been out on mission, but Blitz had been with the Senator since he’d reunited with her and Kash, and he hadn’t been called back to speak with council till just now. 

The doors to the council room opened, and Blitz entered. 

Morwel was sitting there, in the center, and she nodded to Blitz as he entered. 

“Blitz-Laufer.” She said. “You were called here to report on what you saw on Marak. As of now, you are our only witness who saw the Sith on Marak.”

“What?” Blitz asked. “What happened to Kara? Tula?”

Marak glanced to the side, sharing an even look with her compatriot to the right. 

“Along with Dune, the two disappeared with the aid of an unnamed mercenary, taking with them any knowledge of the Sith that we might have gained. Your account is all we now have.”

Blitz stared at Morwel.

“They’re gone?”

“All three disappeared from a mining facility just off Marak with the assistance of the aforementioned mercenary. They fought against a Jedi stationed there, and attacked with the intent to injure. All three will be treated as the enemy until further information is revealed that would indicate otherwise.”

Blitz listened to what Morwel said, thinking on the situation. This wasn’t good, but there was a chance that Tula or Kara would talk to him if he tried to contact them. 

“I can try to talk to them.” Blitz stated. 

“I understand that you were friends.”

“I talked with Tula after she left. There’s a chance that she’ll trust me.”

“We have considered this, and once we’re sure what we’re up against we will attempt to contact them. Any assistance on this front would be greatly appreciated when the time comes.” Morwel said. Blitz nodded. “But we called you here for your assistance on another matter. We’ve heard second hand accounts of what took place with the Sith, and that it seemed to teleport, but as of now, these are the only details that we have.”

Blitz nodded. 

“Please relay what you saw to the council.”

Blitz nodded again, taking a moment to gather his thoughts before he spoke before he relayed the events of that night and what he’d seen. After he finished speaking, silence fell over the council. 

“We’ll need to look in the library.” One of the members stated

“Of course.” Morwel nodded. “Blitz, we’ll need you to stay at the temple until we’ve determined what this is. If anyone from the group who left tries to contact you, we’ll need you to report in with what they said.”

“I understand.”

“Then you’re excused, for the time being.”

Blitz bowed, then turned and left the council chambers. It seemed that he’d be away from his position from Aria till this was resolved. She’d be fine with Baldur, but he’d grown to be friends with her in the time that he’d been assigned to her. 

Now, however, would be his time to check in on Locke and to see the truth of what had happened. 

* * *

Blitz made his way down to the medbay first, approaching the jedi chatting at the entrance, nodding to them as he approached.

“I’ve heard that Locke Bere was here. Is he still in the medbay, or--”

“Blitz!” Blitz turned at the sound of Locke’s voice. “I heard they called you back!” Locke said, approaching Blitz. 

“They did.” Blitz said. “They wanted to know what happened on Marak.”

“Well, yeah, they’re trying to figure that out right now.” Locke proudly outstretched his arm to Blitz, his robes falling back to reveal the prosthetic limb. “You’re not gonna believe what happened.”

“Well, I heard that you lost your hand.” Blitz said. “That’s all they said.”

“C’mon. Let’s go grab a training room. You can help me practice with the new arm and I’ll tell you the whole story.”

Blitz nodded. “Lightsabers?”

“Nah, not yet. Don’t want to risk the arm malfunctioning and losing it again.” Locke replied. 

“Sounds good.” Blitz nodded, the two turning and moving away. “They said Kara and Tula are gone?”

“They’re not the only two.” Locke said. “Dune’s gone.”

“What?”

“Exactly.” Locke looked to Blitz seriously. “Dune helped them to escape, and I don’t understand why.”

Something wasn’t adding up to Blitz. 

“How does this all connect to you losing your arm?”

“I’ll tell you that once we’ve got a room.” Locke said. “I don’t think they want what happened spreading around, at least until they’ve decided what they’re going to do.”

This didn’t bode well. They walked till they reached a training room, Locke entering first. Blitz shut the door behind him and entered, grabbing a practice saber. Locke grabbed one of his own, then faced Blitz. 

“So what happened?” Blitz asked, bracing himself and his saber. 

Locke swung an experimental blow towards Blitz who caught it, blocking it solidly. 

“You left us after we got to the mining platform with Aria.”

“Right.” Blitz stepped forwards. “What happened then?”

“We waited for Morwel. Kara woke up eventually. Kara didn’t tell us much new, and refused to say anything about what happened with Tula. They took Tula out of the Kolto tank when Morwel arrived, and she wouldn’t say a thing. Morwel left to report, and somehow-- right in that window of time-- the Mandalorian from Marak arrived on the station.”

Locke paused, and Blitz traded a few blows with him, watching as Locke carefully parried them.

“Somehow--” Locke blocked a blow-- “Dune, Kara, and Tula--who’d just woken up-- found the Mandalorian. I sensed something was wrong, and I called Baldur and Morwel to the docking bay.”

“Kara was there, and she would’ve fought me. Before we could fight, the ship fired on something above, and it all came crashing down.”

“Crushed your arm?”

“I was pinned. It nearly cut it off. The damage to the hanger made it tricky for them to get to me. Baldur was there, and Morwel shortly after. Morwel lifted it off, I blacked out.”

“And the others got away?”

“They did.”

“And now you get a shiny robot arm.”

“I do!” Locke replied, brightening slightly for a moment before returning to his previous somber mood. “But we’ve got a sith.”

“And Dune, Kara, and Tula all gone.”

“As novel as the arm is, I’d take my old one if it meant that we didn’t have a Sith on the loose.”

“You’re doing pretty well with it.”

“I’ve been practicing with the older apprentices. They’re eager to prove themselves against a full jedi, and that’s helped. I should be back to my full abilities soon.”

“You’re doing fairly well against me.” Blitz stated, swinging a powerful blow towards Locke, thinking as he did. 

“Locke,” he began after a few moments. “I think I’m going to try to get in contact with them. I know Tula talked with me after she left the order from time to time, and it can’t hurt.”

“You can’t trust what they’ll say.”

“I feel like I have to try.”

“Let me listen in.” Locke said, slowly lowering his practice blade. “I can try to sense if they’re honest or not.”

“I think I need to give them a chance.” Blitz said. “I think they might listen to me.”

“But what if they don’t?”

“I don’t know what we’ll do then.” Blitz finally replied. He truly did feel that reaching out to Tula and the others could help, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted to hear what Locke had to say about what they might tell him. Locke stuck to the light no matter what the situation might be. He was a Jedi and servant of the code above all else, and that wasn’t about to change. 

“Tell you what.” Blitz said. “I think I need some time to think about what I’ll say. I’ll message Tula or Kara and see if they’ll reply, and if they will, I”ll set up a time to call.”

And then perhaps he’d tell Locke what he was doing, and perhaps he wouldn’t. He’d decide that when the time came. He wanted to be sure that his friends were safe, and if they weren’t against him, then he’d decide what to do. If they’d really gone to the dark side, then he’d decide what to do when he got that information. It would also be interesting to learn why Dune, a powerful shadow in his own right, had sided with them. Had his work cleansing the galaxy of the dark side tainted him, or had he just learned a new way of seeing things?

Blitz extracted his comm from a pocket in his robe, setting down his practice blade. 

He hesitated for a moment, then typed a few words. 

“ _ Call if possible. Want to understand and stop the Sith.” _

He’d leave it at that, and then he’d wait and see what message he got in return. 

“Why don’t you try to contact Dune?” He asked Locke. “He was your partner.”

“I’m waiting for orders from Morwel. If she wants me to contact him, I will. If not, then I won’t. Blitz, you can’t forget that we can’t ally with the dark side, even if it does seem like it’s just a little thing.”

“That must be where you and Dune differed, then, and maybe Kara too.”

“You didn’t mention Tula.”

Blitz sighed, suddenly feeling tired. “I don’t know what to think there.”

“You know better than me what you saw.” Locke stated. “You were betrayed by her.”

“And she nearly died for it.” Blitz said. “I don’t want to believe that she’s betrayed us, but you are right. It does look like that. I think I hope that Dune and Kara can talk some sense into her, and that she’ll find peace eventually.”

“I disagree, I think.” Locke said. “I think you’re being a little too optimistic.”

“Before this, I trusted her.” Blitz said. “It would be nice  to be able to do that again someday.”


	9. Maybe the real sith artifacts were the friends we made along the way…

Dune watched curiously as Zand piloted her ship, directing them down towards the moon below. It was largely uninhabited, and they’d be forced to land without a traditional landing pad. Several careful hours had gone into scanning the surface below before they’d found a clearing close enough to the location Tula had deduced from the last of the Sith clues. 

Dune had spent a good amount of time asking questions about the now lost holocron to both Zand and Tula, while Kara had listened from a distance. Kara didn’t seem to want to know what information the holocron had held, but Dune had been fascinated. Every detail was something that had been forbidden from him in the past, and now he was able to discover it all in glorious detail. 

True, sith artifacts were dangerous, but there was so much that could be learned about the force from them. This  was something that Dune had put a great deal of thought into in the past, and now, mere hours away from approaching a place that Tula had warned would be filled with darkness, he was excited at the chance that they might find something. 

“We’ll land right there.” Zand gestured towards a small clearing that Dune could see approaching in the distance amid the brightly colored flora. The trees-- or whatever was closest to them here-- held an orangeish hue, oddly shaped objects shifting in a strong breeze that he saw as they grew closer. 

Zand pressed a button, speaking across comms. “Landing now. Buckle in, and then we’ll be down in just a few minutes.”

Dune settled down into a seat next to Zand, buckling in for the descent, studying her as he did. 

“You’re mandalorian, right? So were you always a bounty hunter?”

Zand didn’t look away from the console, focused on the approaching trees as she shifted the angle of their approach slightly. 

“It’s a family thing. I inherited it, and I was good at it. I’ve got a few siblings all in the business across the galaxy, and I’ll here from them from time to time.”

“Huh.” Dune replied. “I haven’t seen my family since I left for the Jedi, and I don’t remember them much. I know I have a younger brother back home, but I never really knew him.”

“I wouldn’t like it if I didn’t know my family.” Zand replied. “Or if I wasn’t able to talk with them. As a Jedi, have you ever tried to contact them?”

“No.” Dune said. “I think if I don’t go back to the order, I’ll try to see what my brother’s doing.”

“That’s good.” Zand said. “Family is important.”

The ship touched down, and Zand stood after unbuckling her seat. Dune followed, and a Kara was waiting as they approached the exit. Tula followed a moment later, armed with a blaster. It was no replacement for a lightsaber, and Dune suspected that she would be well aware of that. 

Dune stretched out his senses with the force, feeling for what might be on the moon, and as he did he was reminded of the absense in the force that was Tula. 

“Tula, you’re going to have to teach me what you learned about being hidden in the force. I think it could be helpful, especially if we end up going against the Sith or Jedi.”

“I can teach you and Kara what I know.” Tula said. “But before we go, I need to tell you about a message from Blitz.”

“Oh?” Kara asked. 

“He wants to talk,”

“Are you going to?” Kara asked.

“If everyone isn’t opposed, I think I will. He’s had my back before, and as long as we’re careful with what we tell him it could give us information on what the council is planning.”

“I don’t know if that’s the best idea,” Zand said, “but it’s your decision.”

“It would be good to see what we can find out about the council.” Dune replied. 

“I’m down.” Kara said.

“Then if everything goes well down here, I’ll plan a time to call him.”

Zand opened the airlock, and together, they exited onto the unfamiliar moon. 

Dune took a few steps out, the ground slightly springy as he went. He glanced back as the others stepped out, letting Tula take the lead. Dune fell into step beside Zand as they walked. The mandalorian had her full armor on now, prepared for any incident that might come. 

“What is your rate for pay on missions like this?” Dune asked, an idea coming to him. Maybe Zand could help him as well as she’d helped Tula once this was all over. Tula had explained how she’d made money working with a smuggler-- Kash-- and how she’d then used that to pay Zand. 

“It varies.” Zand said. “It also depends on how much I like you.”

“So how much would you charge me?” Dune asked.

“I don’t know yet.” Zand stated. “We didn’t meet that long ago. You seem fairly decent, but working looking for sith artifacts can be dangerous, and tangling with Jedi or Sith isn’t something I take lightly.”

“Well, when this is over and I find work, I might have pay for you.” Dune said. “You do good work, and I’m interested in any other sith artifacts that you could find.”

“Assuming this goes well, we could work out a deal.” Zand said after a moment. “Something like what I’ve got with Tula. She helps me on what jobs I get, and in turn I help her with what she’s looking for on the side. A jedi who doesn't mind breaking a few laws can be a good ally.”

Dune paused, thinking about how he felt about that.

“I’ll think about it.”

“And I will too.” Zand replied.

They walked in silence for while longer, Tula leading the way, following signs in their surroundings, pointing out ruins and remains of things that were left behind. 

Dune could feel the darkness lurking around them as they pressed on, and he could see that Kara was uncomfortable with it. Dune was used to working in situations where there was less light as a shadow, so he let if flow around him, focusing on what he knew and felt, allowing it to pass over and around him, moving through it. He probably had more experience dealing with this type of place than the others in his work with the Shadows partnered with Locke.

An idea came to him as they walked. 

“Tula, what kinds of signs are we following?”

“There’s usually something with some sort of memory or location attached. I’ve only been to four locations since then, and it took time to interpret and follow all of them.”

“Do you still have the things you’ve followed?”

“Some of them.” Tula said, not meeting his gaze. “Why?”

“I think that if we take whatever’s here, then I can do what I can to purify the site. That should slow the Sith down if he can’t track us.”

“That’s a good idea, but what if they send other shadows after us?” Kara asked. “They’ll know we were here.”

“Well, who are you more afraid of catching up to you?” Zand asked. “The Jedi or the Sith?”

“We can reason with the Jedi.” Tula shivered. “Not the Sith.”

“Then I’ll do what I can to cleanse it.” Dune said. “What are you following now?”

“This.” Tula said, reaching under her robes to reveal a battered amulet. “There’s a memory of a place here imbued in this. The reason that it took so long to find was that we didn’t have too much to go on. We had to look for places that had been associated with the sith or that had rumors that could be attributed to the dark side, and then to keep going until we found this one. Really, it’s a miracle that we even found it.”

“I don’t know if finding it is what I’d call a miracle.” Kara said.

“No, I can see saying that.” Dune said. “What you’ve done is similar to what the Shadows would do, trying to hunt down and destroy what was left behind.” Dune paused. “Can I see the amulet?”

“If you want.” Tula pulled it off, gingerly passing it to Dune. 

He didn’t think much of it until he touched what he knew must be bone, archaic runes carved into it. A darkness that he hadn’t noticed till Tula removed it from her person swathed it, and as he touched it, he caught a glimpse burning blue star, then of a stone structure surrounded by firey foliage, then the memory moved inwards, a flash of blood and a sense of death and darkness, fear and hate burning in a burning core of something hidden away inside the cave.

He moved his hand away from it, letting it hang from the cord. 

That was something that he wasn’t sure how to describe. The feelings and the memory had pierced through his carefully practiced self control, striking into his very soul. 

“I might want to look at it later.” He said, passing it back to Tula after another curious touch. “But that’s certainly a Sith artifact. Does it do anything other than that?”

“Not that I can tell.” Tula said, taking it back from him.

“Guys, I feel like you should be more careful.” Kara said. “I understand that this is what we need to do to find whatever this is leading to before the sith, but I don’t think that we can afford to not be careful here. This stuff is dangerous, and there’s no denying that.”

Tula didn’t reply, replacing the amulet. As she took it, whatever method she was using to cloak herself in the force hid the amulet once more.

“I think it’s good to study.” Dune said. “It is dangerous, but that doesn’t mean that we can just ignore it.”

“I’ll stick with you through the end of this.” Kara said. “But I think I might hang back. Wherever we’re going, you’ll need someone to watch your back. I can hang back, keep watch, and you three can go in. I will help, but I don’t want to deal with Sith artifacts.”

“That’s fine.” Tula said, frowning slightly. “I won’t make you look at something that you don’t want to.”

“Good.” Kara said. “Then we have a plan.”

“I typically hang back,” Zand said, “But if you don’t mind then I’ll follow this time if Kara will keep watch. I am curious about what you’ll find.”

Tula nodded. “Then let’s keep going.”

* * *

As they approached the structure, Tula found herself worrying that she’d taken them to the wrong planet, or that this was another wrong stop. She found herself fidgeting with the amulet, the memories that it held blending with her own as she walked the path dictated in it. It took nearly an hour of walking, but eventually they began to see signs of some structures that had once existed here. There were blocks of stone scattered across the ground, occasionally stacked, and all worn by time and the elements. 

“We’ll need to see what we feel here.” She said. “Dune, you saw it. Unless it’s hidden it shouldn’t be to tricky to sense.”

“I’ll wait here then.” Kara said. “I wanted to mediate. It’ll be good to see what creatures might be here.”

“Alert us if anyone does come.” Zand said. “You’ve got the channel we use, right?”

“Got it.” Kara nodded. “I should be fine.”

Tula shifted, nodding back. “Then we’ll keep going.”

She wasn’t sure how she felt having the others with her as she progressed forwards. True, Zand had been with her before, but the others were new. She was glad that Kara had decided to stay back, and Dune didn’t seem to be judging her for what she’d done. If anything, he was just as interested as she was, albeit for different reasons. 

This was part of a search for balance for her, based on a lack of balance that she’d felt in all her time with the order. There was so much anxiety and turmoil in her own mind, and she just didn’t know how to work with that. 

Before she’d left the order, those closest to her had known and noticed. Her own master-- Jorgen Rett-- had attempted to help her to find balance, and she was ashamed to admit that she’d pushed away him and his assistance in the end. She’d not been in contact since she’d left, and she wondered now what he’d think, or if he’d blame himself for her defection. 

One thing she was sure of-- on this path, she didn’t want him to see her or what she feared she was becoming. The light had eluded her grasp, and so she would continue to search for something else that could help her to understand what she felt. This felt like a failure, something that only added to the discomfort in her stomach as she approached the darkness ahead of her. 

“I think I sense something.” Dune said, and sure enough, a moment later, Tula felt a hint of anxiety slip in, a growing sense of irritation and anger and frustration at perceived wrongs. 

Slowly, as they moved forward, her worries began to slip away into a sense of agitation. Jorgen hadn’t been able to help her. Her own friends hadn’t been able to help her. Kara was loyal, she’d seen that. Dune had a shared goal. Zand would help till she got her pay. Could she trust Blitz? She didn’t know. He’d helped her, after she’d left, but she didn’t know. He could be just attempting to help the Jedi bring her back for all that she knew.

Tula touched the amulet again, inhaling deeply as she walked forwards. As she did, her memories bled with the ones stored in it, showing her the way forward. 

She stepped forwards, following what once had been a well worn path, allowing the darkness to flow around her as she did. Dune and Zand followed, and Tula didn’t stop until she reached the remains of what must have once been structure of some sort, but now stood empty and broken.

“The dark side is strong here.” Dune said, stepping over and into the ruins, navigating the broken stones carefully.”

“Then the next step might be here.” Tula said, releasing the amulet. This…felt like the right place, and so she stepped forwards. Something had happened here, long ago, staining the land here, and as they stepped farther into the ruins the foliage that had been so plentiful, overgrowing everything else, faded to bare soil, covered only with ruts that showed where water had flown in other times. 

“I’ll keep watch.” Zand said, hanging back a few feet as the two continued in. 

A few yards in, a slab of black stone came into sight, placed in what would have once been the center of the ruins that they now stood in. Again, just as it’d been in the first cave where she’d found the holocron over a year ago, she could tell that there was something inside it, locked away.

“There’s something there.” Dune said. “Let me try to get it out.”

“You’re welcome to.” Tula said, unsure if he’d be able to open it.

Dune walked forwards, pulling off his gloves. He placed a hand on the stone, but even as he did, there was a rumbling in the trees, something charging out of them and towards the three. Zand reacted instinctively, firing her blaster into the creature that charged towards them, and Dune ignited his lightsaber. Tula glanced at the other two, then at the creature that was now charging towards them. 

Zand ran to the side, flanking the creature, and Dune charged towards the beast, blade meeting it head-on.

They didn’t have time for this. Tula hesitated for a fraction of a second, then moved to the stone.

“We’ll keep it off you. “ Zand ordered, and Tula nodded. 

This time, she knew what to do. She placed her hand on the cold stone, reaching into herself and drawing on the anger that had been building as she’d walked closer to the place that she now found herself at, and pushed at the stone, feeling for the mechanisms that controlled it and forced them to move, drawing on the bitterness at the fault she saw in the Jedi, the hurt that she felt about everything that had happened and her own anxiety and the perceived rejection from the Jedi. The stone collapsed inwards, revealing a hollow space below, and from there she grabbed the scroll, miraculously preserved, taking it and calling to Zand and Dune as they battled the beast. 

“I’ve got it!”

“You two, start running.” Zand ordered. “I’ve got this.” With that, she jumped, firing her boots and propelling herself up to fire her blaster repeatedly into the beast’s neck. It took a few more steps forwards before stumbling, falling to the ground and twitching. 

“I sense more.” Dune said, looking back at Zand. “We should run.”

“Kara.” Zand spoke into her comm. “Just how good are you with ships? We need a pickup.”


	10. Team ‘We’re the Good Guys’

Blitz paced as he waited to hear word from the council. Baldur had been pulled from his assignment with Aria, and he waited here with him too now, quietly conversing with Locke. El Fossin was there too, studying a datapad. They’d all been summoned, all of them well aware of the situation with their friends and what had happened. 

Blitz still hadn’t heard back from Tula, and that worried him. True, it hadn’t been too long since he’d sent the message, but it still wasn’t good that she hadn’t replied yet. Even as he paced, his comm beeped quietly. He pulled it out, looking at to see that the message was indeed from Tula, but before he could read it, the door to the council chamber opened, an older Jedi master exiting.

Jorgen Rett was someone he was well familiar with from his friendship with Tula, although he hadn’t seen the Twi’lek much since the time immediately after Tula had left the order. Jorgen had approached him once to ask if his former apprentice had been in contact with him, and at Tula’s request, Blitz hadn’t shared than she had. Jorgen had been disappointed. Blitz had seen that, but Jorgen had seemed to accept that his apprentice needed to leave for a time to find her way.

Blitz couldn’t help but wonder what he thought now, with everything that had happened recently. Blitz wasn’t sure if he could even imagine what it would be like to have an apprentice turn or leave the order. Jorgen was old enough now that he wasn’t too likely to have another apprentice, although he had had his place assisting with the younglings creating lightsabers. He was old, but he seemed to have a level of peace that Blitz had envied in his more turbulent times. 

“The council’s ready to see you.” Jorgen said with a quiet smile. “All of you.” He nodded towards the brothers and El. 

Locke and Baldur stood, followed by El, who stashed her datapad in an inner pocket. Blitz stowed away his own comm, following them into the council chamber. He noticed that Jorgen followed them back in, allowing the entryway to shut behind them. 

Morwel spoke first. “Due to recent events, several Jedi have fled the order. You are all aware of this, and some of you have felt this personally.” She nodded to Locke. “We trust all of you, and Locke, we trust that you will speak out if you feel that you can’t complete this mission.”

She continued. “Some of you have been chosen due to your acquaintance with those who left. Locke, you know Dune best. He was your partner.” Locke nodded. “You should be aware of his ways of thinking. Your work with the shadows will prove invaluable in tracking them if they’re truly seeking after sith artifacts. Blitz,” she looked to him, “Master Sib has informed us of your friendship with Tula Delok prior to her leaving.” 

Blitz looked to his own Master, the older human woman sitting in her council seat, poised and listening intently. She nodded to him, and Blitz looked back to Morwel.

“You know her.” Sib offered. “And if I’m not mistaken, you stayed in contact when she left. If anyone can reason with her, it’s you.”

Morwel nodded and continued. “Baldur, your work with the guardians has been exceptional. El, I imagine we’ll need someone with your abilities to track what we know of where they are. All of you were acquainted with Kara Loay.”

El nodded. 

Morwel spoke. “Master Jorgen Rett has kindly agreed to accompany you on your search.”

Blitz glanced back at Jorgen, noting that his calm smile had been replaced with a more somber expression as their mission was explained.”

Morwel continued. “You will all start on Marak. Locke will cleanse anything left behind of the dark side, and the rest of you will act as backup in the case of the Sith.” Morwell leaned forwards, frowning slightly. “My next instructions are the most important. Should you see this Sith, do not engage until you have enough information to do so safely. Follow Master Rett’s instructions to the letter. El, if you’ll report to the library, we’ll give you what leads we have thus far. Blitz, Baldur, you may be excused as well to gather what you will need and report in an hour to the docking bay. Locke, Rett, if you would please remain.”

“I’ll step out.” Talys Sib interjected. “I’m aware of the instruction that you will be giving Locke and Rett. I wish to speak with my former padawan before he departs.”

Blitz was slightly miffed that she still referred to him as her padawan even now, a good amount of time into his years of being a full Jedi, but he respected her and knew that if she needed to speak with him, it would be something important. 

Morwel nodded. Blitz turned with Baldur and El, leaving the council chamber. Talys stood and quickly followed them. Once the door closed behind them, Talys nodded to Baldur and El, placing a careful hand on Blitz’s elbow to hold him back.

“Blitz.” Talys smiled. “It’s good to see you doing so well.” 

“Talys.” Blitz replied, respectfully nodding, waiting for instruction. 

“Follow me. There are things you should know before you leave.” 

Blitz hesitated, then followed her. They walked for a few minutes before they reached Talys’ working quarters, Blitz following her in. 

Talys didn’t waste any time in turning to Blitz, serious. “As I said, there are things you should know. Locke and Jorgen are being given instructions now that I would rather they don’t need to resort to. Jorgen is a friend, and while I trust him to do what is necessary, I would rather not see him pushed this far.”

“What?” Blitz said, mind racing. That sounded bad. 

“I trust your judgement. I trained you. I know that you’ll do what needs to be done, no matter what. The Sith cannot be allowed to spread. Your squadmates understand this.” Talys paused for a moment, then continued. “What they do not always understand, is that there is a time and a place to follow the letter of the law. I don’t know Kara Loay well, but I doubt that she is any harm to the order should she chose to stay away. Dune, I don’t know, but I do know Tula from what Jorgen has told me and when you were both younger.”

“I don’t want to think that’s she’s turned to the dark side.” Blitz said. “I really don’t think that she would. I mean, I know what I saw and I know what happened, but I don’t know if she would.”

“What I say here doesn’t leave this room.” Talys paused, waiting until Blitz nodded in agreement. “If that’s really the case, and she hasn’t turned to the dark side, you either need to be sure that she turns herself in willingly or that they never find her. If she had turned, I would advise you exert whatever influence you have to make sure this passes peacefully.” 

Blitz blinked in surprise. 

“What?”

“That’s all I can say. I would recommend trying to get in contact with her, although it’s your decision as to what you tell your team. I think it’s very important that you think about what you know about them. Locke, Baldur, and El are all fiercely loyal to the Jedi code. Jorgen may have taught Tula, but that doesn’t mean that he won’t do whatever is necessary to prevent the spread of the dark side. He will do whatever is necessary to save her, but I believe he is loyal to the code now.”

Blitz nodded slowly. “I understand.” 

“Good.” Talys nodded. “And Blitz? Whatever happens, I want you to know that I am proud of you. I trust you to make the right decisions, no matter what path that takes you on.” She smiled at him, and for a moment, Blitz wondered what exactly she knew that she wasn’t telling him. 

His comm buzzed with an incoming message, and he looked down, glancing at it. A new message from Jorgen waited, specifying the ship they’d all be taking, alongside the unread message from Tula. 

“Thank you.” Blitz bowed slightly. “I should go now.”

“Good.” Talys nodded to him, and gestured to the door. “May the force be with you.”

“May the force be with you.” Blitz replied, exiting the room, ignoring the feeling of finality that his farewell brought. 


	11. Why Is This Map So Confusing??????

Tula watched, frustrated as Dune poured over the scroll that they’d found, trying to examine it for anything that could connect it to whatever they were searching for. She’d been waiting for Blitz to respond for what felt like hours now, and none of them were making any progress on anything that they were doing. The scroll they’d found possessed a fragment of a star chart, pointing to a hidden planet, but the odds of finding a location like that without a library or a resource was next to nothing. 

If only they were still able to access the Jedi temple library-- with that they’d be able to find whatever they needed, but there was no way that they would be able to do that. 

Just when she felt that she couldn’t stand another moment of looking at the map, her comm buzzed, call incoming. 

“I’ve got to take this.” Tula mumbled, exiting the room and descending to her own bunk. The others were still engrossed in the map, Dune excitedly sharing thoughts on what it might be with Zand, and so she slipped out unnoticed. 

The call, she noticed as she looked closer, was from Blitz. She hesitated before accepting, then, after a moment, she answered. 

“Hello?”

“Tula, I can’t talk for long.” It really was Blitz. “We’ll need to encrypt anything we send after this.” 

“I’m not going back.” She replied, hesitating. “I can’t. I know that.”

“... I know. Listen. I just needed to tell you this. They’re sending us after you-- Locke, Baldur, El and me. I want to help you, but I can’t do that unless you can promise me that you haven’t turned to the dark side.”

Tula inhaled shakily. 

Could she promise that? Wasn’t that directly what she’d turned towards? Wasn’t that what she was seeking out even now?

“I can’t promise that. But Blitz, listen. I swear-- I promise, I won’t hurt anyone. I need to do this, for me. I can’t go back to the Jedi, I’ve never belonged there.”

“They’re sending Jorgen Rett with us.” 

Tula inhaled sharply. 

“I’ve got to go.” She said. “Message me if you want, but I’m not giving up, and I’m not coming back.” 

She ended the call, staring down at her comm. She hadn’t talked to Jorgen since she’d left, and the knowledge that one of the people who she’d trusted the most back at the temple had been sent after her-- gentle, kind Jorgen, who’d always had his balance and footing with the force, and never seemed to worry-- was now tracking her and a group of those who she’d once trusted. 

Tula felt like crying, and even as she worried, she felt her earlier fears slip around her again, of all the things she hadn’t been able to do at the temple, and how she’d never been able to find that balance and peace that she’d sought. Jorgen had always made it seem so simple? And he’d never doubted her before this, even through all of her own worries. 

If he was tracking her down, then they must have truly given up on her back at the temple. 

This was her fate now, and following this was the only path that she had. She had no other choice but to follow this path until she reached its end, no matter what it might be.  

“Hey Tula, I’ve got an idea.” Zand’s voice echoed over the ships intercom. “Meet us back here. I’ve got an old friend who might be able to help us figure out where this is.”

Tula took a shaky breath. She could do this. This was possible. She would press on, and she’d walk back in that room like nothing had happened. She wouldn’t share what Blitz had said, not yet. Not until she had more information. 

She inhaled, exhaled, then turned and climbed back out of her bunk, making her way to the room where the others sat. Kara seemed distant, something that Tula resolved to ask her about later when they’d heard Zand out. 

“So, what’s your idea?” Tula asked as she entered the room. 

“I know someone.” Zand began, kicking up a foot on a chair as she spoke. “An alien. He’s a good guy, and he’s got access to information that we can use.”

“What’s the price?” Dune asked. 

“He trades in information. Unless any of you have a large stash of credits that you’re willing to donate to his cause.”

Tula knew that she was going to have to empty her meager savings to pay off Zand when all this was over, but until then, she wasn’t going to question the other when she said that she had a plan. 

“Sounds good.” Dune said. “When do we go?”

“The system is a week or so away, so it’ll take time to get there.” Zand said. “So it’ll take some time, but I don’t know what else to do.”

“It’s a good idea.” Tula agreed. “Unless anyone’s got a contact back at the temple who they trust.”

“I doubt Locke would help us.” Dune said thoughtfully.

“You can say that again.” Tula agreed. 

“Then we’ll go.” Zand stated. “We’ll head for Nar Shaddaa. That’ll give us a chance to pick up the fuel and a part we needed as well.”

“And it’s a wild enough planet that it’s not likely that we’ll be tracked there.” Dune said.

“True.” Zand said “I’ve got friends on planet who could help us in a pinch, but I’d rather no one know we’re there other than my contact.”

“We have our plan then.” Tula stated, noticing again that Kara hadn’t contributed to this discussion. 

“I’ll get the course plotted.” Zand began. “Kara, you want to help?”

“Actually, would you mind if I talked with her first?” Tula asked.

“Oh! No, of course not.” Kara finally said. “I’m more than happy to talk with a friend.”

“Can I help with the course then?” Dune asked.

“Yeah, you can help with that.” Zand said. “I didn’t know that you were interested in that.” She started towards the cockpit, Dune following.

“It’s not my specialty.” Dune admitted. “Locke typically did the piloting, but I know what I’m doing.”

The conversation between the two trailed off, leaving Tula and Kara behind.

“You okay?” Tula asked Kara.

“Well, I mean, I did just leave the Jedi order, and now I’m traveling with fugitives searching for Sith artifacts. So I figure I’m doing as well as you can in that situation.” Kara replied, still somber. 

“And we’re glad you’re with us.” Tula said.

“Right.” Kara smiled hesitantly. “I”m just not sure how involved I want to get in Sith business, so I’ll tell you this here. Tula, I think what the Sith are is wrong. I don’t think that emotions are something to fear, but I do think that the Sith are truly evil. They hurt people, and they don’t care who they crush on their path to power.”

Tula was a little miffed that the other thought so little of her, but still, she pressed on. “C’mon. I don’t want to hurt anyone. I just want to know what they know. The code hasn’t helped me, so I’ve got to look somewhere.”

“And I’m still not sure that you’re looking in the right places.” Kara said. “Don’t get me wrong. I’ll stick it through, but after we finish following this path, we can try to see if there are other ways to follow and things we can find to help you.”

“Thank you.” Tula said. If this truly didn’t bring her what she was looking for, she didn’t know what she would do,  but she was grateful that she knew Kara would be there for her through all of it.

* * *

“I have no idea what this means.” Locke said, staring down at the stone on the floor of the now well lit cave. Baldur and Blitz were keeping watch outside with Jorgen, and he and El and ventured inside to investigate what was left behind. El had been studiously documenting what they saw, prepared to study and attempt to interpret it in what was now a race to discover what had been here before. Locke didn’t like that, and he didn’t like not working with another shadow in this situation. 

Still, El was smart, he couldn’t deny that. While she wasn’t an expert in combat to the same degree as the other members of their party, her ability to strategize and see connections was something that he was sure would prove invaluable. 

The other Shadows who’d passed through this cave had done what they could to cleanse it, but the stench of darkness still lurked here, attempting to catch him off guard at every turn. 

The key here was to be patient, and not to rush. Rushing through this could only lead to darkness, and he had no desire to give it a foothold in their mission. 

“I’m going to mediate.” He told El. “I’ll see what I can sense here.”

“Sounds good.” El replied. “I’ll finish getting this recorded. They’re having me send it back to the temple. Normally they wouldn’t record it and actively try to understand it, but with a Sith on the loose? We don’t really have much of a choice.”

Locke nodded, settling into a sitting position on the floor, but before he could do much, Jorgen entered the cave with them. 

“Be careful where you meditate.” Jorgen spoke as he spotted Locke. Despite the cleansing, the dark side still remains here.”

“I know.” Locke said. “This is what I was trained for.”

“The perhaps you wouldn’t mind if I study this while you meditate.” Jorgen gestured towards the stone platform in the center of the room. 

Locke nodded. He didn’t need to tell the master to be cautious. Jorgen would be well aware of that. 

Still, Locke found himself watching Jorgen as the other placed both hands on the slab, breathing deeply. 

“Are you going to try to open it?” El asked. 

“No. It’s possible that I’d be able to open it with the light side, given enough time, but I feel that whatever was once here is now gone.” Jorgen replied. “What I’m doing here is more sensitive. It’s possible for a Jedi to take an object and feel it in the force and attempt to sense events surrounding it.”

“That’s an incredibly dark object.” Locke interjected. “To attempt that in a place like this is forbidden, and for good reason.”

Jorgen calmly looked to Locke. 

“I’m well aware of that, but I’m also aware that doing this will give us a chance to pursue those who we seek.”

Locke crossed his arms, prepared to disagree before he stopped, calming himself. Disagree as he might, Jorgen was the master here. He’d include this in his report to Morwel, but for now, what the Jedi Master decided to do was his own business.

Jorgen exhaled deeply, then closed his eyes. He remained like that for a moment, a bastion of light in the force, but then, suddenly, a flash of darkness erupted from to stone. Locke sprang to his feet, El nearly dropped her datapad she’d been recording with, and after a moment, Jorgen took a few steps back from the stone, staggering slightly. 

“Master Rett--” El began, stepping towards him. “Are you okay?”

Jorgen waved her away after a moment, looking more shaken than Locke had ever seen him in all his years at the temple. For a moment, Jorgen didn’t look the part of the elderly man who all at the temple knew for his gentleness. There was a shadow in his eyes, and Locke reached out, sensing for darkness in the man. 

As suddenly as the darkness had come, it dissipated, and the only darkness that Locke felt was that left over, Jorgen and El beings of light as they always were. 

“What did you see?” El asked, voice hushed. 

Jorgen didn’t respond for a long moment. 

“There was a great darkness here. I saw something in the stone that was no simple Sith artifact.”

“That’s what Tula took.” El said.

“Yes. It is what she took.” Jorgen answered. “Something of a power that she couldn’t comprehend. I trained her, and I know what lies in her heart. There is fear, true, but not the anger needed to unlock such a thing completely.”

“You don’t know that.” Locke said. “People change.”

“That much though?” Jorgen mused. “Tell Morwel that there was a Sith holocron hidden here. She will want to know what we’ve found.”

“What?!” Locke asked, incredulous. 

“That’s bad.” El said. “Like, really bad.”

“As I am aware.” Jorgen said. “The council will need to be made aware of what we can safely assume that the Sith has now found.”

“Done.” Locke nodded. “After we’re done here, I’ll send it.” 

“Good.” Jorged sighed, and Locke was reminded of how old the man actually was. “I’ll leave the rest to you two. El, I wouldn’t recommend trying what I did. Locke, I trust that you are well aware of the dangers.”

Locke nodded, as did El.

“Good. Then I will return to our two guardians.”


	12. Slums and Secrets

Kara hung back as the others left the ship. The hanger that Zand had parked it on looked less than reputable, but Kara knew better than to judge based on appearances. Besides, some of the other ships that had been parked there looked battle scarred and dangerous enough that she wasn’t going to sniff around, as much as she wanted to. 

Kara and Dune had shed their more traditional robes in favor of more subtle clothes, following Zand’s instruction. Their lightsabers were hidden out of sight, and honestly? Kara wasn’t sure how she felt about the change. She didn’t like not being able to reach for her lightsaber, infrequently as she actually needed it. It was tucked away in a bag now, just difficult enough for her to reach to make her uncomfortable. 

Zand had instructed them to not reveal their identities as Jedi unless it was necessary upon meeting her contact. Over the course of the past week Tula had began to share what she knew about hiding her presence in the force. Dune had taken to it naturally, combining what he’d been taught as a shadow with the new information. If Kara was being honest, he’d taken to it better than Tula seemed to have. Whereas Tula seemed to be a void in the force-- something that a Jedi would be able to sense-- Dune had managed to cloak himself entirely, appearing to be no more than a simple citizen, the same mix of light and dark that anyone was. 

Kara had never been particularly well acquainted with Dune, but he, above her and Tula, seemed to be taking to this new life better than any of them. He’d bonded with the bounty hunter, and while his enthusiasm in hunting for Sith artifacts worried her, Dune truly seemed to be enjoying himself to an extent that Jedi often didn’t.

Maybe this life would be good for him, if he didn’t return to the order. Kara had heard him talking with Zand late one night when she couldn’t sleep, and she’d heard his offer to the bounty hunter.

Dune had clearly offered to help her-- a partner in crime, and while Zand hadn’t agreed to his request, she hadn’t rejected it either. Kara supposed that a former Jedi would be a formidable ally to a Bounty Hunter, and if this was what Dune needed, Kara was hardly going to stand in his way. 

She caught up to the rest of her party as they exited the hangar, Zand leading the way. 

“Don’t make eye contact.” She was just finishing informing the group. “But also, don’t avoid making eye contact too much. They’ll notice that.”

Dune nodded. Tula didn’t say much. Kara was well aware that she had the scroll hidden way in her pack, blaster visible at her side. Zand was in full armor, and the streams of people passing around them on the busy street gave her, and the rest of the party by extension, a wide berth.

The streets were dirty, and the establishments that they passed looked less than reputable. They nearly had to pull Dune away from a man who tried to convince him to go into a shop with the promise of illegally modded blasters. It was only when Zand stepped up that the man fully stepped away, promising that he’d meant no trouble. 

“Was he law enforcement? Trying to trick us?” Kara asked quietly. 

“Here? I doubt it.” Zand said. “He might have the blasters, he might shove a vibroblade in your back and rob you blind the moment you get in the door. Better not to find out.”

Dune nodded, and the next time someone attempted to convince him that they were selling what he needed, he ignored them. 

They continued onwards, the surrounding buildings growing more and more dilapidated as they continued onward, fewer and fewer individuals on the streets, and soon the only others who were there moved quickly, refusing to make eye contact or to look at anyone for too long.

Eventually they stopped at a battered stall set up in front of an apartment building that looked like it probably hadn’t ever seen better days. Zand approached, the rest following. 

“I’m here to make a purchase.” She said. 

The unfamiliar alien at the counter squinted one of their four eyes at Zand, seemingly debating his options. 

“What do you want to buy?” It’s voice didn’t come from a mouth, rather a synthesizer embedded where it’s throat would have been. 

“Tell Zebron that Zand’s here, and she’s looking to buy. He’ll know what I need.”

The creature hesitated, then extricated a comm from one of its many pockets.  

“Zeb. Zand’s back in town, and she’s looking to deal.” 

Whoever was on the inside responded in a language that Kara didn’t understand, but Zand seemed to, and after a moment the creature gestured towards the door.

“Head in. Same room as last time. They with you?” The creature gestured towards the rest of them with a limb.

“Yes.”

The creature shook its head.

“Head in. I’ll tell him they’re coming.”

Zand led the rest of the group in. Kara tried not to gag as she smelled the dank air, the scents of too many people crammed into a small space. Zand let them down the hall, and then down into the basement. The air was cold down here, and Kara shivered as they descended the stairs. A battered metal door was at the bottom of the stairs, and after Zand banged on it a couple of times, it slid up and open, allowing them to file into a room that looked far from what Kara had been expecting. 

Where the rest of the building had been battered and worn, covered with the signs of life, this area, while still obviously old, had been meticulously cleaned. The room was larger, obviously taking up much of the basement, and in the center was an enormous terminal, wires spilling from the back of it to enter into the walls and into the chair before it. 

Sitting in the chair was… something? That Kara had never seen before. The creature was smaller than a human, with what had to be dozens of delicate appendages coming from it’s body, all working the console, the screen flashing by with information faster than Kara could see. 

There they stood for nearly a minute until the console blinked to a stop, flickering off. The creature slowly turned in its chair, blinking at the group. Kara now saw that the wires that she’d thought had went into the chair itself instead flowed into ports on the body of the creature. 

“Zand? Peliot said that you’d be coming in. I saw you outside my door. Who have you brought with you now? Not family, I saw that. You’re the first one to visit me in years.”

“It’s good to see you, Zeb.” Zand said. “My friends have a map that they need to find.”

“A map? That’s it? You don’t need help tracking down an intergalactic criminal and all you have is the name of a forgotten planet?”

“Nothing that exiting.”

“Well, put it out and I’ll see what I can do.”

Zand nodded to Tula, who pulled the scroll from her pack. She opened it, then held it out to the creature, who took it in one of his many hands, squinting at it.

“Hmm. It’s not a system I’m initially familiar with. What have you got to trade? Any hidden treasures or localles that I might not know about?”

“How about where we’re going?”

“Depends on why I’d want to know that. What are you looking for?”

“We’re not sure yet.”

“Hmmm.” The creature hummed under its breath. “A mystery, then.” It scanned the paper, fingers tracing the stars. “I’ll need to enter it into my system before I can do anything else. If this truly is a missing piece of a map, it would be something I’d want to have as part of my collection. If it’s nothing, then it’d be a waste of my time.”

Kara head her comm beep, pulling it out to glance at it. There was a message from Blitz, something that surprised her. She scanned the message quickly, reading it. 

“Zand, sorry to interrupt, but you all need to see this. Blitz--someone from the temple--” she nodded to Zand, “-- sent a warning. They’ve got Jedi searching for us, and they know your ship from the port records on Marak.”

Zand didn’t say anything for a moment, but Zeb did.

“On the run from the Jedi, eh? Sounds like an adventure.” His voice was almost wistful, and then he looked at them again, then back down to the scroll. “Was this stolen?”

“No.” Tula said. “We found it.”

Zand finally spoke. “No one in that docking bay wants the Jedi looking too closely at what they’ve got going on there. We’re safe until we leave, but I can’t promise anything past that.”

“Then it sounds like you’re in a hurry.” Zeb said. 

Zand exhaled. “Okay. I’ve got a cache I can tell you the location of as collateral. I trust you not to take it unless we fall through. In return, I’ll do one job for you. No murder, information collection only. They’ll help.” She gestured towards the rest of the group. 

Kara wasn’t sure how she felt about being included in this, but she was hesitant to point that out in this situation, so she waited.

“Hmmm.” Zeb hummed again. “A favor for a favor then. I haven’t had too much business lately, so I suppose we could trade.”

Zand didn’t say anything else.

“Fine. It’s a deal. I’ll see what I can do with this, and if it’s possible to locate the system. I can’t help you past that, and I can’t promise that they’ll even be habitable.”

“Done.” Zand said. “Should we wait?”

“Take a seat. It’ll be a few hours at least. If you get bored, leave and come back later.”

“If they’re on the lookout, I think that it might be best to stay here and wait if you don’t mind, Zeb.”

“I don’t mind company so long as you’re quiet.” The alien replied, turning back to his computer, hands already adjusting dials and buttons. 

Zand nodded, moving to settle down on a bench. After a moment, Dune joined her, pulling out a datapad. Kara settled down on the floor a few yards away, crossing her legs as she did. Tula took a seat of her own on another chair. 

Kara pulled out her comm, rereading Blitz’s message again. After a moment of internal debate, she typed a reply. 

“ _ How many are searching? Any leads?” _

It wasn’t long before a reply came back. 

“ _ Unknown. There’s a team led by Jorgen Rett that I’m currently a part of.” _

_ “Who else?” _

_ “Locke and Baldur and El Fossin. Same group. You should know-- Locke is determined to succeed. They couldn’t save his arm from the wreckage.” _

_ “Wait, what? I know it’s sick to think it’s funny, but that was something he wanted.” _

_ “I’m not sure how he actually feels about it. He claims he’s fine, but we’ll see.” _

_ “And they aren’t worried about Locke wanting revenge?” _

_ “They trust him to do his job. I don’t think he’s the revenge type.” _

_ “Does Tula know?”  _

_ “I told her a week or so ago. She hadn’t mentioned it?” _

_ “No.” _

There was no reply from Blitz for a while, and Kara had resigned herself to the fact that it would be the only thing she learned for now when he messaged her again.

“ _ If you can convince Tula to come back, please try to.” _

_ “I don’t think any of us plan to come back.” _

Another long gap in communication. 

“ _ Look. I know you, and I doubt that you’d ever turn to the dark side. I need you to tell me honestly what you think, about Dune and Tula. I don’t know Dune as well, but I need to know. Do you think either of them are in danger of falling?” _

Kara didn’t know what to say to that, and although her initial response had been to immediately send a message back declaring their innocence, the more she began to worry. She could tell that the darkness from the things that they were studying was rubbing off on her. It was taking a strict regimen of meditation to avoid the feelings of darkness that she’d felt, and she knew that both Dune and Tula were far more involved than she. 

“ _ I don’t know.” _

And that was the end of their conversation. Blitz didn’t reply again for whatever reason, and Kara thought uneasily of the moon that they’d left behind and the scroll that they’d found there. 

After nearly an hour, she hesitantly typed another message. 

“ _ I won’t tell you where I am, and I don’t want them to know that I sent this, but there was a place of darkness that we found, and it does need to be cleansed.”  _ She paused for a moment. “ _ Coordinates to follow. If you can find a way to slip them into your flight path, do it. Locke should know what to do.” _

Blitz didn’t reply for a long, long time, and so Kara began to clear her mind, focusing on her breathing. She’d meditate on this while she waited, and then, in time, she’d hopefully know what to do.

* * *

Blitz stared down at his comm in the silence. How could he respond to that? It wasn’t as if the Jedi had an anonymous tip line to submit complains about the dark side to. He didn’t know who to go to. 

He exhaled heavily, staring forwards. He couldn’t trust Locke with this, and he doubted that Baldur would keep secrets from his brother. El, he wasn’t sure about, and that left Jorgen. Blitz thought back on what Talys has said to him about Jorgen, and what he knew of the man himself. If he told him what Kara had said, would Jorgen attempt to force him to admit what else he knew or send him back? 

Finally, as if he knew that Blitz was starting to worry, Jorgen appeared, entering the empty training room that Blitz sat in. 

“Blitz.” Jorgen nodded to him. “Something on your mind?”

“I’m worried.” Blitz said after a moment of silence. 

“Mind if I sit?” Jorgen asked. Blitz shook his head, and Jorgen carefully lowered himself to the ground so sit, crossing his legs. “Locke and Baldur are challenging El to a game of Dejarik together. They’ve yet to win alone, and seem to think this will give them the edge.”

“No new orders?” Blitz asked. 

“Nothing.” Jorgen shook his head. “And so we wait.”

“Jorgen,” Blitz began slowly, his resolve sterling as he spoke. “I need to tell you something. Kara Loay sent me a message.”

Jorgen blinked once, but that was the only sign of surprise that he showed. 

“And what did she say?”

Blitz sighed again. “She sent a location. Not where they are, but somewhere they’ve been.”

“Then this is something I will need to pass to the council.”

“I don’t want to betray them.” Blitz said. “And I don’t think Kara wanted to either, but I can tell that she’s worried about Tula and Dune. If there’s a chance of them coming back or coming out of this I don’t think it’ll be increased by my trying to pry things out of them.”

Jorgen was silent for a moment. 

“I can’t control what the council will decide.” Jorgen said. “But I will tell them when I report. Talys will agree with you. Morwel will not.”

Blitz nodded, tucking his comm away, thinking carefully before he spoke, remembering what Talys had warned him about being careful who he shared what he knew with. 

“I’m not going to lie to them to get them to tell us where they are.” Blitz said. “If something pushes them away, it’s not going to be me.”

Jorgen didn’t reply for a moment.

“Blitz, I need you to understand.” He paused. “I have no desire to push Tula-- or Dune-- away. I will do everything I can to bring them back peacefully and to resolve this.” Jorgen sighed. 

“Blitz, Tula is someone I care about like a daughter. I will do nothing to push her away, unless as a last resort.”

Blitz nodded slowly. 

“I’ll return when I’ve  passed on my message.” Jorgen said, nodding, before leaving the room.

* * *

Kara woke with a start as Zeb spoke from across the room. 

“It looks like you’re heading for the Outer Rim.” 

Zand stood, making her way over from the bench to examine the screen that had now settled on the console, depicting an unfamiliar system.

“Whose data did you find that in?” Zand asked. “Or is it common knowledge?”

“I’d rather not tell.” Zeb didn’t meet her eyes, and Zand nodded, pressing no farther.

“Then we’ll be off. You have my contact information.”

“I’ll be in contact then.” Zeb nodded. “When I need something.”

“It’s a deal.” Zand pushed a few buttons on a device. “Coordinates for the cache.”

“Good. I’ll send your details on the map. You should be able to patch it in to your ships computer.” Zeb gestured towards the door. “I’d walk you out, but--” He gestured towards the cables in his flesh.

“Understood. Thank you.” Zand nodded, turning a leaving, their group following her out. Tula took the offered scroll back, tucking it away again. 

Kara could tell that both Tula and Dune were excited by what she’d found, but still, all she could feel was her own worry about what they were getting into.


	13. Initiate’s Path

Locke stepped carefully out of the ship, testing out the springy ground below him. El followed, staring at the trees that surrounded them. 

“Woah--” She said, staring. “That’s beautiful!”

Locke glanced at the tree-things, pausing for a moment to take it in. True, the moon was beautiful and brightly colored, but the pressing nature of their journey here was weighing on him at the moment. Blitz and Baldur followed. Jorgen was already off the ship, staring out into the trees. 

“Baldur, I need you to stay with the ship.” He stated. “There are reports of hostile wildlife from the settlements on the other side of the moon. If things go badly, you can come pick us up.”

“Done.” Baldur agreed easily, nodding. “I’ll see you four off, and then I’ll hop on and wait.”

Jorgen nodded. “We’ll stay in contact.”

With that, Jorgen started off, moving slowly and carefully across the mood. El walked at his side, asking the occasional question about the situation and moon, while Blitz and Locke trailed behind him. 

“So.” Locke looked to Blitz as the other settled in walking beside him. Locke hadn’t had a chance to talk to him since orders had come through from the council form Morwel, instructing them to travel here and revealing that Blitz had been in contact with Kara. “You’re talking with Kara even though she’s with them.”

Blitz sighed, and quickened his pace. Locke kept up with him. 

“Have you tried talking with Tula?”

“Have you tried talking with Dune?” Blitz challenged.

“Fair enough.” Locke conceded. He doubted that Dune would particularly want to hear from him now, and frankly he didn’t understand why Dune was doing what he was. It didn’t make sense to him. Dune had always seemed concerned with doing the correct thing and sticking to the code, so this seemed like a rather sudden departure from his previous behavior.

It didn’t make sense, and Locke wasn’t sure what he thought about this situation. He knew what he’d been given permission to do should Jorgen need him to do it, but he was well aware that it was a last option should the worst case scenario happen. As certain as Locke was in his views and opinions about what had happened and might happen, he understood what the Jedi way was. 

Blitz didn’t seem keen to speak, and so after a few more attempts to drive the conversation Locke gave up, allowing them to walk in silence. 

Locke didn’t understand why the others didn’t truly see the danger that the council had made him aware of-- a Sith, and former Jedi in danger of becoming Sith as well. The council had instructed him, and Jorgen as well, of the severity of the situation, and for the first time Locke wished that Dune or another shadow was working with him in this situation. They’d seen what the Sith could do, and they knew the danger and death that could come from allowing this to happen, something that Jorgen didn’t seem to comprehend. 

He’d talked about this to Baldur privately, but while his brother had listened, he hadn’t seemed to take his worries as seriously as Locke had. Locke knew that Blitz had a looser definition of the Jedi Code than he did, and attachment to those who they were tracking that would be dangerous. 

They didn’t have to walk far to sense what they were looking for, and as they grew close enough to see the ruins Locke could indeed sense the darkness around them. Here again they found another black stone similar to the one that they’d seen in the cave before. Someone had opened it, and so it remained now. Locke approached it with Jorgen, Blitz hanging back and keeping watch as El began to document what they saw here.

“I’m going to see what happened here.” Jorgen said. Locke looked on, disapproving, as Jorgen placed his hands on the stone, closing his eyes again. There was silence for a moment, then Jorgen staggered back again, the darkness swarming around him. This time, El was ready, offering him a steadying arm. Jorgen took it, looking to Locke. “They were here, and took something. This was no holocron-- another clue, perhaps. If I reach deeper, I might be able to see what it was.”

“The order forbids it.” Locke replied. Position be damned, what Jorgen was doing was dangerous and had the potential to destroy their entire mission. 

“Locke, walk with me.” Jorgen said, gesturing a few feet away. “Blitz, keep watch with El. We’ll be back soon.”

Locke followed Jorgen, carefully focusing on his emotions as he did, making sure that the flare of irritation and righteous anger that he’d felt at the other’s seemingly foolish actions was brushed away. 

Once they were far enough away to speak without being overheard, Jorgen turned to Locke. 

“Locke,” he began softly. “I understand your concern, but I need you to know-- I am aware of the danger in my actions. You were chosen to send with because of your loyalty to the order, and the strength of your convictions.”

“I don’t mean to overstep.” Locke said. “But you know what I am. You know what I hunt, and you know what you’re doing.”

“Locke Bere.” Jorgen said, his gentle voice sterner than Locke had yet heard from him. “I am well aware of the dangers and temptations of the dark side. I don’t require someone to teach me, or to tell me how they can harm.” Jorgen walked a few steps farther, then continued. “When I chose my apprentice, I chose her for a reason. I saw something of my younger self in her, and I had a desire to teach someone who otherwise might be abandoned or pushed away by the order. Understand that while I will do whatever it takes to bring her back to the light. There are risks to be taken, and I would rather that I do it than someone who still has the future before them that you do.”

Locke didn’t know what to say, so instead he stood in silence, battling with the emotions that had been brought to the surface by Jorgen’s remarks. There was irritation, among other things, and a sense that he would need to report this to Morwel. 

“What if you can’t save her?” Locke finally asked. 

Jorgen looked tired. 

“Then I’ll do what the council instructed. She will trust me, and I will be able to do what we need to do if that’s the situation we face.”

That would have to be enough. 

“Then I accept what you need to do.” Locke said, turning back to continue to where they’d come from as Jorgen did. 

El was still examining the area, taking her vid, but Blitz had moved to examine a skeleton that had been picked clean by scavengers. 

“This looks like a lightsaber wound.” He gestured towards a charred bone. “So Kara or Dune.”

“They did say there was hostile wildlife.” El offered. “So they ran into something.”

“When they opened the stone, they were rushed.” Jorgen said. 

“So they were attacked.” Locke said. “By something.”

“Then I’d say let’s hurry.” Said El. “I’d rather not have to fight.”

“I mean, that  _ is _ why I’m here.” Blitz said. 

“True.” El replied. “Still, I’m just saying. Let’s not kill anything if we can avoid it. 

“A wise statement.” Jorgen said. “Now. I’ll see what I can gather once more, and then we’ll move from there and Locke can do what he can to cleanse this place.” Jorgen stepped forwards once more, placing his hands on the slab. This time he didn’t step away immediately after, and Locke could sense the darkness as it flowed around Jorgen.

Jorgen was shaking as he stood, and when he stepped away it was a few moments before he was able to focus on the group around him again. Locke waited for the darkness to clear, but El didn’t, stepping to his side. 

“What did you see?” El asked. “Anything we can use?”

“Many hands have touched that stone.” Jorgen said. “Too many.” 

Locke looked away. This wasn’t helping. 

“Tell you what.” El said. “You can go with me back to meet Baldur. Blitz and Locke can stay here and finish what they need to do.”

Locke saw Blitz frown, no doubt anticipating the conversation to come. 

“That may be for the best.” Jorgen finally said. “I will need to meditate to clear my mind.”

Locke shook his head as the others walked away, looking to the stone, slowly preparing to focus the light on purging the darkness.

* * *

Kara stared down at the planet below, watching through Zand’s viewscreen as they all came closer to the ground below. This was the first and only habitable planet in the system. There seemed to be moons that could sustain life, but they’d yet to see any sign of civilization. 

Dune, oddly enough, was piloting the ship currently. He’d asked Zand if she would let him, and after a moment of hesitation, she’d agreed with him. He’d explained it as something in the force guiding him down, towards the planet-- something calling to him below. 

Tula hadn’t said much, simply staring down at the planet below, and not for the first time Kara was worried for her companions. 

The darkness around her made Kara feel sick, honestly. This entire system just felt wrong, and she didn’t know what to say or do about it. She’d debated sending Blitz a message on comms, but she didn’t want to betray her companions. 

She would wait and see what was below, and then she would act. 

* * *

Dune piloted the ship down carefully. Locke had typically been the pilot on their missions, but Dune was competent. Zand’s ship was unfamiliar, but with the force to guide him, he would be able to land it, and hopefully close to the thing he could feel on the surface below. 

Even here, in space, he could tell that there was something on the planet below. Whatever it was, it radiated the dark side in waves, stronger than anything he had ever felt before. He knew Tula and Kara felt it, and even Zand seemed a little on edge as the descended. 

“Scanners picking up some sort of structure ahead.” Zand said, glancing up. “I don’t see any signs that anyone else is here.”

“That’s where we’re going.” Tula finally spoke. 

Dune nodded, then looked to Zand. “How close can you get us?”

“Swap me. I’ll see what I can do.” Zand said, trading Dune for his spot. 

She easily piloted the ship down, flying over the blackened scrubby brush that seemed to the only thing that grew below, piloting them closer and closer to a mountain that loomed in the distance. 

“It’s getting closer.” Dune said. “I can sense it.”

“Then it’s got to be the structure we picked up.” Zand said. “There’s nothing alive around it. I don’t like how open we’ll be.” 

“Put us down, and you can try to find a place with cover.” Dune suggested. “We’ll be fine there.”

Zand hesitated. “..Fine. Stay on comms, and don’t split up.” 

“Done.” Dune agreed. 

Zand piloted the ship down, slowly making her way to land. The three passengers disembarked, Dune stepping down first, jogging ahead to take in the structure that soared ahead in front of them. Tula followed quickly, and Kara reluctantly. 

They all stopped eventually as the roar of the ship disappeared, staring up at the pyramid that stood before them. 

“Dune, do you think--” 

“This is a Sith temple.” Dune answered. “When I was with Locke, we were warned about them, but I never thought--” He paused, looking towards it in the evening light. “We should try to get inside. We could camp for the night.” 

“I don’t think that’s the best idea.” Kara said. “If you’re really going to look at it, we should wait till morning. We don’t know what might live here, and staying on the ship will be the best.”

“Kara, I don’t think you understand,” Dune said, continuing towards the temple. “We could learn so much here.”

“No, I’m pretty sure I understand.” Kara said, crossing her arms and stopping. “Dune, I know that you’re curious, but I don’t think this is a good idea.”

“Then keep watch while we see about the entrance.” Dune said. “We’ll see if it will even open.”

Tula gave Kara an apologetic glance before she followed Dune towards what looked to be the entrance, leaving her standing there, firmly refusing to go forwards. 


	14. Visions and Visitations

This. This was too much. Kara watched the others go forwards, sick to her stomach. The hate and anger that swirled around them made her want to be sick. She understood questioning the light. She understood accepting attachments and allowing yourself to have emotions, but this? Too much. 

She needed someone who could understand, but who wouldn’t try to track them. Her options were limited, and after a moment of hesitation, she pulled out her comm, pressing a few buttons before recording a brief message. 

“Kash.” She said. “I need a favor. I’m somewhere in the outer rim, and while I don’t know if there’s any business for you out here, I need some help.”

She paused, then continued the recording. “Dune and Tula are in trouble, and I don’t even know how deep. I might need a way out, and I might need someone else to help convince them that it’s serious. I’ll send this to be transmitted to you along with our location.” She paused again. “And if anything does go wrong, I need you to send our location along to the Jedi. Send it to Locke or Blitz if you aren’t sure who to send it to, and they’ll know what to do.” 

She ended the recording, sending it to Zand’s ship to be passed along, then looked back towards her companions, but even as she did, she saw someone gesturing towards her from around the corner. 

“Locke?” She said, incredulous, turning towards the door to call out a warning, but it was already open, Tula and Dune gone inside. She hesitated for a moment, then jogged towards Locke, careful to keep her hands away from her lightsaber lest he think she planned to attack. “What are you doing here? How did you get here-- and I’m not telling you where Tula and Dune are!”

“You think we don’t already know?” His voice was colder than Kara remembered. 

“What--” Kara glanced behind herself, looking back towards the temple door. 

“Return with us, and I’ll do what I can to protect you from the Order’s justice.”

“Um, no?” Kara said. “Look, Locke. I’ve done nothing wrong. And as for Tula and Dune-- they’ll come around eventually. We need to get them out of here.”

“They’ve fallen.” Locke said. 

“No, they haven’t.” Kara retorted, growing irritated. 

“I can sense your anger.” Locke said, and Kara almost laughed. 

“Locke, this isn’t anger. This is me being frustrated because you’re being an idiot.” Kara said. 

“Then why are you ready to draw your lightsaber?”

Kara realized that indeed, her hand had grown closer to the weapon, even as she unconsciously reached for it. 

“Listen to me. Anger isn’t inherently evil. That doesn’t mean that you should stew over it, but it also doesn’t mean that it’s the end of the world if you’re upset. It’s when you fixate that it becomes a problem.” Kara tried to explain what she’d been thinking, doubting that Locke would understand, still hoping that he would by some chance.

“If you are with them, then you are a traitor to the code.” Locke insisted, and in a flash of light, his lightsaber ignited. 

* * *

Tula stepped into the temple as the door opened with a touch of the darkness that came so easily here. Dune followed. Tula moved to extricate a glowrod from her pack, finally digging one out, but by the time she did, Dune had already moved down and to the end of the hall.

“Tula, you’ve got to check this out!” He said, moving away, but as he did, she heard-- something? Calling to her in the force, reaching out for her. 

“Dune, I need to look at something!” Tula called back. “It shouldn’t take long.” She added, turning and moving away, following the feelings calling to her. 

“Yeah, go for it!” He said in return, calling down the hall. “We’ll meet back here.”

Tula moved quickly through the seemingly abandoned halls, dust covering the floors. Everywhere else, she’d felt as if her anxieties were too much, overpowering her, but now, here in the midst of so much anger and hurt in the force, those same feelings seemed to be something smaller, hardened into a determination and anger that fueled her, pushing her on to the source of whatever she could sense. 

She turned a final corner, stopping at a door that was firmly shut, the strange runes covering it. Whatever she could feel–the thing that was solidifying her anxiety into determination and anger– was behind that wall. 

She looked for anything that might open it, feeling for something that she could press, but the only control pad that had once been there was inactive and refused to function. 

Tula inhaled deeply, then looked again to the door, tracing the patterns on it with her hands. Working with technology was by no means her strong point, but as she studied the runes, she began to wonder if that wasn’t what she needed here. She remembered the black stone that she had come across in her travels, containing Sith artifacts, and what it had taken to open them. Meditation hadn’t helped, and the only thing that had been able to crack them for her had been using her own anger and emotions as a weapon. 

This. There was something inside here that she needed, and she focused on it, pulling in the anger and hurt that she felt in it, then forced it towards the door, attempting to move it to the side. 

It didn’t budge. Irritated, she pulled again, attempting to focus her anger and irritation into it, forcing every ounce of self that she could into moving it aside, desperate to reach what lay inside. This was justified, and it was calling to her, trying to bring her into the room. 

With a finally monumental heave, she shoved at the door again, and a resounding crack echoed through the hall, the door cracking open, splitting at the nearly invisible seams.

Triumphant, Tula stepped through the door, and into darkness.

* * *

Dune was fascinated with what he saw inside the temple. The dark side of the force was strong here, and he found himself more immersed in it than he’d ever been before. True, he’d had his fair share of dealing with sith artifacts, but there had never been anything like this before. 

He walked quickly, trying to take it all in, and as he did, one thing solidified in his mind. 

The Jedi could not find this place. If they did, they would only try to destroy the knowledge stored here, and he couldn’t let that happen, no matter the cost. 

Somewhere ahead, there was a breeze of cool air blowing towards him. Was the temple damaged? Dune wondered. Or could there be another opening up ahead? He walked towards the source, the hall he had been wandering widening up into an open cave. He hesitated at the entrance for a moment, then stepped onto the rocky ground, continuing inward. There was something ahead that he could sense-- almost a presence-- but it was nothing like anything he’d ever sensed before.

He rounded a corner in the cave, the area opening up into a larger cave that opened up to the now night sky above, glittering with stars. 

That wasn’t what drew his attention. What did, however, was the strange ship that was sitting in the center of the room, covered with dust and debris that had blown in over time. Dune wasn’t sure what it was, or how it had came to be, but as he reached out with his emotions, he found that he was sure of one thing. Somehow-- and he didn’t know-- this ship was alive in the darkness of the force. 

* * *

Kara stared at Locke as the other advanced. 

“Locke, I’m not your enemy.” 

“Anyone who would align with the Sith is an enemy of the Jedi.”

Kara finally placed her hand on her lightsaber. “Locke, I don’t want to fight you.”

Locke swung his blade towards her, and Kara dodged, unclipping her lightsaber but not activating it.

Something was wrong. Locke was too angry, too vengeful for what she remembered of him. 

Kara reached out into the force, feeling for where he would be, but where Locke should have been, there was only the same swirling darkness that surrounded her. 

Whatever she faced, it wasn’t Locke. That knowledge firm in her mind, Kara calmly ignited her lightsaber, prepared to face him. This was an illusion of the darkness, something here created to force her to turn to anger against him. 

The false-Locke charged again, style of fighting far more aggressive than what Kara remembered as she parried it’s blows. 

Did she need to defeat it? Or was there another way. Kara ducked away from it again, realizing with a start that it was driving her away from the entrance to the temple. 

Her friends were inside, and they needed her. Kara steeled herself and turned, running away from the fight and towards the open door of the temple. The shadow Locke followed, spitting threats as she left, but Kara ignored him, allowing the energy of her light to flow through her. It was harder here, surrounded by darkness, but that made it shine all the brighter in contrast. 

Kara stopped by the door, stopping and turning, finally facing Locke as he swung again. Kara let the light side of the force flow through her, swinging her yellow blade under his, striking the false Locke. He fell to the ground, but Kara took a deep breath, focusing on what she knew was real and what wasn’t. This was not Locke. This was a thing of darkness that wanted to ensnare her, and she had no doubt that Dune and Tula would be facing their own demons. 

Slowly, the Locke that was lying before her faded into shadows, dissolving before her eyes. Kara watched and waited till he was gone, then entered the temple. 

* * *

The room Tula found herself in was small, and as she entered, she saw what had been calling to her. Laying on a pedestal, long abandoned and left behind by its previous owner, was a sheathed blade. Caution thrown to the wind as she reached the source of the whispers in her mind, she approached it, grasping the blade and attempting to pull it from its sheath, but as she touched it, a wave of darkness like only the holocron before had possessed overwhelmed her. 

Something was wrong with this blade, and she couldn’t deny that. Either during its creation or sometime during its use, something had been done to instill a corruption that she couldn’t fathom, and perhaps what terrified her the most was how it fed into her own fears, bouying her away from the terror that she hid deep down, forcing it into an anger that she couldn’t define, fury at Jogen Rett for continuing to shepherd her down a path that she wasn’t meant for and that she couldn’t follow. She didn’t move as she stood there, the blade sharpening her own emotions into something that could only be described as fury.

“Tula?” She could hear someone calling her name so she spun, hefting the heavy blade from its sheath, pointing it towards whoever had entered. A moment passed like that, blade clutched in both hands, pointed towards the door before she was able to focus on the fact that it was merely Kara-- Kara who had tried to help her, who had been loyal thus far, but who doubted the path that they were on. 

“Tula, are you okay?” Kara asked again. 

Suddenly, the weight of the sword was too much in her hands, and she lowered the point to the ground, anger seeping out of her as she did.

“Kara?” She asked, voice barely a whisper.

“Tula, you need to put that down.” Kara said carefully. “There are bad things here, and I need you to listen to me. Put it down.” Kara didn’t move forwards, simply waiting for Tula to move. 

Another few moments passed before Tula was able to gather her emotions. 

She wasn’t going to give this up. Tula turned from Kara, straining to lift the blade and place it back in the sheath, refusing to hesitate before grabbing it and strapping the ancient leather on, covering it with her cloak once that was done.

“I’m fine.” Tula finally said, turning to face Kara again, swallowing down her anger. “We should have stuck together. We need to find Dune.”

Kara hesitated for a moment, looking like she wanted to say something, but she stopped before she did, simply nodding, turning and moving back out into the corridors of the temple.

* * *

Dune stared at the ship, amazed at what he saw and sensed. Somehow, this ship with the strange eye was sentient-- It had to be, with what he felt. He quickly made his way down to the ship, searching for how to board it. Before he was able to touch it though, his comm buzzed, a message coming through from Zand. 

“I found a cave, about a half a mile off.” She said. “Big enough to provide some shelter. Transmitting coordinates. I’d recommend you head back soon. We don’t know what comes out at night here.” 

Dune stared longingly at the ship before sighing. 

“I’ll be back later.” He said, laughing a little at himself. Even if the ship truly was somehow sentient, he didn’t know if it would be able to hear him or comprehend what he meant. Still, as he walked away, he couldn’t help but feel that the ship understood, but that it wouldn’t be that patient for long. 

It’s time for waiting was nearly done. 


	15. Messages

Kash watched as the message that Kara had sent repeated before him, trying to decide what to do. How would he know when things went wrong if she didn’t reply again? After a moment of thought, he turned on his own recorder, sending a quick message back. 

“I’m on my way. I’ll try to see if there are any jobs we can get, but if not, I’m still coming. I need you to check in with me each day. If you don’t reply, I’m going to assume something went wrong and I’ll pass your location on to Blitz. Hang in there. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

Kash looked over to Tex who had watched him record the message. 

“Think that’s good enough?” He asked. Tex shrugged. 

Kash hit send. Either way, he’d do what he could, and it wouldn’t hurt to call Blitz and ask if he knew what was going on. Kash hadn’t heard much since he’d been with Blitz and Aria, and the Jedi hadn’t seemed to keen to reveal any details about what had went down to him.

“Tex, start piloting a course to her location. I’m going to call Blitz to catch up.”

The wookie obliged, starting to chart the path, and Kash turned, beaming out a request to talk to Blitz. Several minutes passed before Blitz responded. 

“Kash, it’s not really the best time.” Blitz said. 

“What, I can’t catch up with an old friend?” Kash asked.

“I’m on a mission.” Blitz said glumly. 

“What about?”

“I don’t think I should talk about it.” Blitz said. 

“Well, I mean, I can’t tell you where I’m going either.” Kash said. “So we’re fair.”

Kash heard a muffled query about how Blitz was talking to on the other end, from someone who sounded like Locke. 

“Man, Locke’s there too? Sounds like you guys are having fun.” Kash said.

“We’re really not.” Locke replied, closer to the comm now. “What’s up, Kash?”

“Business.” Kash said. “But what I was really wondering-- could either of you finish explaining what happened with Kara? Last I hears Blitz was rushing to help her, and now she’s sending me ominous messages?” 

Kash winced as he realized his slip up, knowing that Locke would catch it.

“They’ve been in contact with you?” Locke asked sharply. 

“Well, that depends.” Kash said. “Why are you looking for them?”

He heard Blitz sigh as Locke continued speaking, directing the conversation. 

“Jedi business. Was she alone?”

“I don’t know if I can tell you that.” Kash said, not wanting to reveal what Kara had said.

Locke seemed to be growing frustrated. 

“Kash, this is important. It’s for the good of the galaxy and their sake that we find them.”

“Are you exaggerating?” Kash asked.

“No.” Locke said. 

“He is telling the truth.” Blitz added reluctantly. 

“Then I’ll think about it.” Kash finally said. He’d try to get more information out of Kara, and he’d go from there. “But I’m not telling you it until I learn more from Kara.”

“Kash, look. I’m sure we can work out a reward from the council.” Locke said.

“You think I’m after a reward?” Kash asked, insulted. “I mean, I do smuggle, but I have standards.”

“Locke, maybe you should let me handle this.” He heard Blitz say.

“Look, I’m not telling either of you where they are.” Kash said. “I just needed to know how serious the situation is. If you aren’t going to tell me anything, then I can’t help.”

“Tell you what, Kash.” Blitz said. “We’ll talk with the Master we’re traveling with and see what he says we can tell you.”

“I’m surprised the Jedi haven’t tried to question you yet.” Locke said.

“I mean, I did ignore some calls.” Kash said. “I was on a job, but I better go check the course Tex plotted. Better safe than dead.”

Tex whuffed, insulted, but that was all Kash needed to end the call. 

He’d make his way to Kara’s location, as quickly as he could then, if things were as serious as they seemed. 

* * *

Locke turned, pacing the room as the call ended. 

“We need to know where he is.” 

“We can tell Jorgen, and they’ll put out a watch for him.” Blitz offered. “If he doesn’t want to tell us, we can’t force him.”

“We need to though.” Locke said, seemingly only realizing what he’d said a moment after he spoke.

Blitz looked sharply at Locke, knowing what he was hearing the other declare. Locke had been more aggressive than usual on this mission, and hearing this from him legitimately worried Blitz. They’d had their disagreements in the past-- and recently-- but Locke’s determination to destroy the Sith was worrying. He claimed to be fine with the loss of his arm, but the more Blitz thought about it, the more that Blitz worried that Locke truly was slipping as he tried to deal with it. 

“Locke, I shouldn’t need to tell you what you sound like.” Blitz said. “That’s all I’m going to say.” He took a few steps away, but Locke stopped him, catching his arm. Blitz tensed up, freezing. “Locke…” Blitz spoke warningly

Locke didn’t say anything for a long moment, and when he spoke, his voice was tired. “Blitz. I can’t explain how serious this is, and what I’ve seen records of in my training. The Sith are truly evil. I don’t want to have to kill a friend if we can’t stop this before it slips too far. Maybe this is self centered-- and if it is, I’ll work on fixing it-- but I don’t want to have to hunt down Dune or Kara or Tula someday. Maybe that’s a weakness on my part. If we can bring them back, even if it’s unwillingly-- we can save them now. We can fix this before it becomes a problem. I don’t want to have to kill a friend.”

Blitz didn’t say anything back. At times like this, he was made aware of just how far Locke’s training and work as a shadow had come between them and their friendship.  Locke’s ironclad convictions prevented him from seeing the good that had to still be in their friends, and as Blitz debated if it was worth trying to argue or say anything else, an uneasy feeling came to him

What if they couldn’t save them? What if a day came where he had to truly fight against them? As much as Blitz hated to admit it, Locke had a point. It wasn’t one that he liked, but Blitz would admit that he had one. 

“Until it’s proven that they’re lost, I’m not going to give up on them.” Blitz finally said with a sigh. “If I’m wrong I’ll be there at your side if we have to fight them-- but I’m not going to give up so easily.” He stiffly pulled his arm away from Locke and left the room, leaving the other behind. 

Blitz sighed as he walked, and after a moment of debate, he sent a quick message to Tula. 

“ _ Is everything okay?” _

No response came, and Blitz had a bad feeling that one wouldn’t come. 

* * *

Tula couldn’t sleep. She’d tucked the sword in its scabbard behind her on her bunk, and she could feel it pressing up against her back. No one had been keen to discuss what they’d seen in the temple. Across the small room, she saw Kara rise from her bunk, climbing up and out of the small room that held the crew bunks. She waited for a moment, then Tula followed. 

She found Kara sitting by the captains viewscreen, staring at the darkness. 

Tula tried to find the right words to say to the other, but she couldn’t seem to think of what to say. 

“Hey.” Kara nodded to her. “Couldn’t sleep either?”

Tula nodded. 

“Same.” Kara patted the floor next to her. “I hate this planet. And I’m not one to hate, but I think I’ve found something worth hating. I don’t like how I feel here. It’s hard to focus, and I feel like it’s all just pressing down.”

After a moment Tula sat by the other, crossing her legs. How long had it been since she’d meditated? It seemed like too long. 

“I think,” she finally began, speaking uncertainty, “that for me, it’s easier here.” 

“How?” Kara asked. 

“I don’t know.” Tula shied away from the question. She knew the answer– that being here solidified it into anger, something that she would take any day over endless anxiety. She could deal with anger. She could do something with that, act on it or make it physical if she reached a point where she wanted to. Worrying was useless, and only brought her misery.

“I want to leave.” Kara said. “I won’t make you come leave, but I need you to know.” Tula didn't know what to say to that. “How long are you planning to stay?” 

“I think Zand will give us a week. I transferred the credits to her earlier when we got back. It could be sooner if she gets another job.”

“And you’re sticking with her?” 

“It’s either that or go back to helping Kash.” Tula said. “My options are limited.”

“I’ve thought about joining Kash.” Kara said. “I probably eventually will.”

“That’s good for you.” Tula said, but her heart sank slightly at the thought of the other leaving. 

“I’ve been in contact with him.” Kara said casually. 

“Oh? Have the Jedi been hounding him?”

“He didn’t say.” Kara said. “We haven’t talked much.” 

Tula nodded. She was tired, now, and wanted nothing more than to sleep, despite her doubts that it would happen. 

“I’m going to sleep.” She finally said. 

Kara looked like she wanted to say something, but didn’t speak for a moment before nodding. “I’ll see you in the morning then.”

“Night.”


	16. why do ur chapters keep getting shorter, huh? huh?

The next morning, Dune woke early, anxious to return to the ship. His dreams had been punctuated with fragments that he couldn’t remember, and it had left him uneasy. 

“Hey Zand,” he called into the tiny area that served for preparing their meals. “I’m going out. Tell the others that I went to the temple.”

“Alright.” Zand nodded to him. “Tula left not to long ago. I’ll be negotiating a contract later, so I can’t help if you need it.”

Dune nodded, and made his way out of the ship and back down and out onto the darkened soil below, making his way towards the temple. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that he wanted this one discovery to be kept to himself. Tula had her sword, and he would have his ship. 

The walk was cold and uneventful, but Dune didn’t doubt that the planet would heat up sooner than later. Before he reached the temple he stopped, focusing on hiding himself in the force. That done, he ventured in again, retracing his footsteps to the cave with the ship. 

It was still there, nearly breathing, and now, in the light coming in from the open cave, Dune was able to study the odd spherical ship. It almost looked like an eye, and Dune wondered if it could see. He approached it carefully, placing a hand on the outer shell.

As he did, a voice echoed into his mind. 

“ _ What do you seek, apprentice?” _

Now that was strange. Dune pondered for a moment, then replied with what he felt was the most obvious and truthful answer.

“Knowledge.” 

“ _ What are you willing to do for that knowledge?” _

A vision crossed his mind, a fiery village, denizens fleeing from a figure holding a scarlet blade. 

Dune paused, measuring his answer before he spoke. 

“I left the Jedi behind, and I came here. I think that stands for something.”

Dune had the impression of laughter in his mind. 

“ _ True, you left, but how far are you willing to go?” _

Dune saw, in his mind, the family that he’d long left behind as they must be now. His mother was older, with streaks of gray in her hair, and his brother stood at her side, tall and strong, and terrifyingly enough, he saw himself, advancing on them, similar blade in hand. 

Dune pulled his hand away from the ship, blinking the image away. 

That… was something that he wasn’t willing to give up. His family, absent as they had been from his life, were not something that he could hurt. 

“I’m not sure that I’m willing to go that far.” Dune said calmly, stepping back. 

“Then you are not who I am searching for.” Someone else spoke from across the room, hidden in the shadows. “You are weak, and you will die.”

“Um, Zand?” Dune grabbed his comm instinctively. “I know you said you were going to be busy but I’ve got a problem here.” He drew his lightsaber with his free hand, and flicked it to life. One handed, he pressed another button on his comm, inputting a familiar string of digits. “Locke, I don’t know when you’ll get this, but I think that there’s something here that I’ll need your help to deal with. If, you know, you’re not busy.”

* * *

Locke sprinted into the cockpit of the ship where Baldur was sitting, fiddling with the console. Jorgen was there as well, studying a datapad. 

“I’ve got a message from Dune.” He said, extricating his comm and playing back the message. “We can track them with this.”

Jorgen didn’t move for a moment, listening to the message once. “Locke, call Morwel and report. Baldur, connect the comm to the ship’s navcomputer. I’ll go for El.”

Locke passed his comm to Baldur, moving over to the ship’s station to call Morwel. 

“Morwel.” Locke said. “We’ve got something from Dune. We’ll be heading in as soon as we can get his coordinates from the message.” 

“Looks like it’s in the outer rim!” Baldur called over. 

“So it’ll be a few days till we can get there.” Locke said. “Morwel, again, we’ll pass on coordinates once we’ve got them.” 

He sent the message off, not doubting that they’d receive a reply soon. El entered the room, followed by Jorgen and Blitz. The room was crowded now, with all of them there, and El quickly made her way to the console. 

“Let me see what we’ve got.” El said, studying the information. “Yeah. We’re closer than Telos, so unless there are other Jedi closer, we’ll be the first ones to get there. It’ll be a few days until we can reach there. I’d say three at the least and if we try to shave some ground off, but it’ll likely be closer to four.”

“Baldur, if you’ll plot our course.” Jorgen said. 

“Sure thing.” Baldur replied. “I can do that.” He settled down at the console, Locke moving to sit at his side. 

Blitz, who had entered with Jorgen, had vanished again, and after a moment of debate, Locke settled in to do his duties as co-pilot. Blitz wouldn’t want to talk, and Locke wondered if the other would truly be ready for what they might see when they landed. 

* * *

Zand opened the hatch to the crew’s quarters, calling down to Kara and startling her from her attempts at meditation. 

“Dune’s in trouble. He didn’t say with what. I’m going to try to pilot us closer, but I need you to be ready to help.”

“Where’s Tula?” Kara asked. 

“I don’t know.” Zand said. “If you can try to contact her, do it.”

“I’ll be right up.” Kara said, preparing to clamber up the ladder to the upper area of the ship, following Zand to the cockpit. As she walked, she pulled out her comm, calling to Tula. “Dune’s in trouble. We’re taking the ship to go help him.”

“He went to the temple.” Zand called over as she lifted the ship off. 

“So he’s there.” Kara said, sending the message off. “I’ll be by the doors.” She added. 

“Good.” Zand said. “I’ll keep trying to contact Dune.”

* * *

Tula could hear something beeping, bumping her out of the meditation that she’d been engrossed in, focusing on attempting to open herself up to the temple, to reach out with her mind and sense what was around her. It was hard with the swirling darkness to navigate it in the force. There were illusions–things that seemed like they were there, but truly hadn’t been when she’d approached the areas where she’d sensed them. 

She supposed that those must be places where things had once been, and that even with them gone still contained the dark side essence. 

Tula looked to her comm, playing back the message that she’d just received, listening as Kara (and with a comment from Zand) explained the situation to her briefly. 

So Dune was somewhere in or around the temple, and in need to help. Tula steeled herself, carefully standing and adjusting the sword. It seemed like she might have a chance to use it after all, if the situation was going as far south as it seemed to be going. 

“Do you have his coordinates?” Tula briefly sent back a whispered message as she moved, reaching out with her senses in an attempt to find where Dune was. 

It was made difficult by how well he’d picked up on hiding himself in the force, and as she reached out with her senses, the darkness that flowed so readily here fell over her. 

Then, piercing through the force came a flash of pain, and Dune’s carefully crafted shield against prying force users shattered. Tula turned in the other direction, sprinting towards the source of the pain.

* * *

Dune staggered back, one hand pressed to his arm where the lightsaber of the nigh- invisible creature had struck him. If he made it out of this-- If someone got his message in time--it would be fixable, but as it was, the outlook wasn’t looking good. The creature he was fighting had to be the Sith that Tula, Blitz and Kara encountered on Marak. It had largely remained invisible, hiding itself in the force, but Dune had managed to parry the first two attacks against him. The third had partially struck, shattering his concentration, but the Sith had yet to attack again, vanishing from view again. Dune inhaled deeply, pushing down the pain, reaching out with the force around him. Someone was rapidly approaching, and Dune hoped that it was one of his companions.

Dune stood in silence, carefully moving his hand away from the burn on his arm, holding his lightsaber tightly with both hands. 

He inhaled, exhaled, and then threw himself to the side moments before a blast erupted from the ship before him, a disturbance in the force echoing towards him moments before the ship fired. 

The ship, fascinating as it was, was a thing of darkness, and when it fired, Dune felt it in the force. He needed to find cover, but before he could stand, he saw Zand’s ship approaching, going to touch down outside the cave. A lightsaber blade came crashing down towards him again, and Dune only managed to roll out of the way to prevent himself the blade from striking through him where he lay, but as it was, it still grazed his skin, burning through his robes.

This was not a fair fight, and not one that he could win alone. 

“Dune!” He heard Tula call from across the cave as she entered, and not a moment later he saw Kara jumping down from Zand’s ship.

Dune scrambled to his feet, emboldened by the appearance of his companions, moving back to place himself against the wall, shrugging off his outer cloak as it smoldered, letting it fall to the ground. 

“The Sith is here!” He called out. Kara had ignited her lightsaber, and Tula had drawn the unwieldy sword that she’d discovered-- and subsequently refused to allow him to see-- the day before. Dune could sense Kara’s steely resolve, tinged with anxiety, and Tula’s growing anger, and for the first time, in the heat of battle, he wondered what would happen if either of his companions faced the temptation that he’d seen from the ship. 

Tula was staring at the ship, and a flicker of unease went through Dune, the visions that he’d seen flashing back to him before he pushed them away. He needed to focus now. There would be time for that later, but for now, they needed to deal with the Sith. 

* * *

Zand watched as Kara charged towards the cave, debating her options. Her armor wasn’t fully on, and she had no desire to face a Sith Lord who had the ability to vanish from the view of those who attempted to fight him. The ship-- or whatever she could see inside the cave though-- had to belong to the Sith-- and if she could take care of that, it would cripple him and his ability to flee. 

Zand called up their comm channel, speaking to the other three. 

“Get out of the way. I’m going to fire on the ship.”

Kara ran to the side, and Zand trusted that the Dune-- and possibly Tula-- were out of the way inside the cave-- and fired. 

The fiery beams blasted into the cave, striking the ship.

“Hah!” Zand said, looking down to the ground below, preparing to fire again. “Everyone safe?”

Before she could fire again, something-- a furred creature-- emerged from the cave, and before Zand could send out a warning, she saw Kara forced to the side by what she could only assume was the force, falling several yards away. Zand debated her options, ready to fire, but with Kara there, there would be a risk of her hitting the other. True, her contract with them was done, but that didn’t mean that she wanted them dead. It’d been good traveling with the others, and Dune’s offer to continue working with her was something she was interested in.

Zand waited there, ready for action, but what happened next was something she couldn’t have expected. As she prepared to fire the thrusters and move back, a force jerked her and the ship down, forcing it towards the ground. 

Zand fired the thrusters, straining against the force pulling her down, but slowly, inch by inch, she could feel the ship lowering.

Zand irritably glanced towards the viewscreen, trying to see what was taking place outside, but as she looked, she saw the now somewhat damaged ship that she’d fired on before exiting the cave, a beam of light firing into her ship. The shields took the brunt of it, but strain on the engine as it tried to raise her while someone else drug her down prevented that, and her beautiful ship was forced to the ground, slamming down with a crash that nearly jostled her from her seat.

She jumped to her feet, hurriedly putting on the rest of her armor, sealing her helmet and moving to leave the ship as the other craft fired again, and again.  If she was grounded, she wasn’t sure how much it would be able to take. 

As she exited, she saw Kara take a swing at their attacker, but before her lightsaber could hit, the creature disappeared again, vanishing, leaving her swinging at empty air. 

Dune emerged from the cave, and Zand winced as she saw that he looked the worse for the wear, cloak gone. 

“Zand, look out!” Dune called across the battlefield, but before she could react, a lightsaber slammed against her shoulder, sparks flying off as it skidded across her armor, leaving blackened marks behind it. 

Zand didn’t hesitate, drawing her blaster and firing repeatedly into the space where the attack had come from. She was rewarded with a howl of rage, and she fired again and again until Dune arrived, swinging at the creature. She had injured it, and somehow, it’s control seemed to have slipped in it’s pain. 

The creature flickered in and out of her vision before becoming undeniably visible, burning red blade clutched in its hand. Dune swung at it, and no sooner that his blade made contact with the Sith’s, Kara reached them, her own blade joining the battle. 

* * *

Tula was afraid--not that this was anything particularly new or revolutionary-- but facing this enemy again, allies or not, worried her. She’d found herself buoyed by anger she she’d grown closer to the cave, but when she’d seen who they were fighting, that had disappeared, replaced instead by a squirming anxiety that now threatened to overwhelm her.  

And the ship-- that had moved out and away from the cave-- could potentially hold another enemy, cloaked in the force. It had exited the cave, but now something seemed to be happening outside. 

As Tula crested the outside of the cave, she saw the situation before her. Zand had her blaster drawn, pointing at the mercifully visible creature that she’d encountered before, with Dune and Kara had engaging it. Tula approached, planning to attempt to flank the creature, but before she could reach it, the air electrified as it sent spiraling blue lightning into Dune and Kara, sending the two flying back. Zand took aim, firing her blaster once before it was yanked from her grasp by the force, flying to land a few meters away. Zand moved towards it, but as she did, the Sith moved again, slamming his blade into her back. 

The blade skidded on the armor, but the force of the blow was enough to stumble Zand.

Tula needed to act, and if she didn’t act now, the creature could destroy them. Dune and Kara were slowly standing, true, but it’d still be a few moments before they would be able to attempt to rejoin the fight. 

The blade that she held urged her to move, to protect herself, and in the swirling darkness, she forced herself to move forwards. Zand had managed to reach her blaster, and she fired it again, keeping the Sith’s attention, and so Tula moved, hefting the blade up and hoping that she would be able to use it before charging towards the Sith, blade outstretched. 

As she moved, the Sith turned towards her, sending off a blast of force lightning. Tula braced herself, holding the sword before her, and then-- 

\--the lightning met her blade, and there it gathered, power building in the blade. Tula stared, and for the first time, the Sith really and truly looked at her. 

“You--” He began, but before he was able to finish speaking, Zand fired her blaster at him repeatedly, striking with deadly accuracy, and Tula charged forwards, blade urging her on until it struck, the lightning that it had somehow trapped flowing back into its master. 

The Sith was blasted back, and Tula charged forwards, the heat of battle carrying her forward as she stopped, blade pressed to the collapsed Sith. 

“Tula.” Dune called over to her as he made his way over, lightsaber in hand, followed by Kara. “Don’t kill him. We could question him, or--”

Zand’s blaster fired again before Dune could finish.

“He’s not staying alive.” Zand said, firing one final time before turning, storming back to the now-grounded ship. 


	17. Plans

Zand was angry. She paced the cockpit of her ship, moving in tight circles. Her helmet was off, sitting against the console as she did so, and she glanced down at the marks the lightsaber had left on her armor. She hadn’t had a chance to look at the damage that there might be yet, and she was frustrated that she’d gotten herself in this situation that had left her stranded on an unfamiliar planet, with the unknown ship from earlier now long gone, bringing who knew what else to the planet. 

True, Zand knew that she would likely be able to fix what damage had been done, but that would take time. She didn’t like how close the situation had been, and she didn’t like that her armor had been the only thing between herself and death.

She sighed, and slowly walked to a console and pulled up a readout of the status of the engines. Something had cracked under the stress, and she didn’t like that. True, she could fix it and she had spare parts for situations just like this, but she still didn’t like it. It would be possible to call a family member, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to do so unless the situation became more dire. 

“Hey.” 

Zand turned, looking to see Dune entering the cockpit. 

“...Hey.” She said with a sigh, continuing to glance through the readout. “How good are you at fixing ships?”

“That was more Locke’s thing than mine.” Dune admitted. 

“Well, you’re going to learn,” Zand said, making up her mind. “Head to the storage closet and grab the tools in the silver chest. We’ve got work to do.”

“How bad is the damage?” Dune asked. 

“Should be fixable. I’ll have to go outside and look where we hit the ground. This ship is build to hold up against damage, but it wasn’t made to be pulled down to the surface.”

“I don’t think most ships are.” Dune said, opening a storage closet and reaching for the toolkit inside.

Zand nodded, and after a moment she looked over at Dune, finally looking away from the console as she slipped off her gloves, clipping the armor away.

“Why didn’t you want me to kill him?”

Dune looked thoughtful, and after a moment he responded. 

“I think we could have tried to learn from him. I’m not familiar with what species he was, and we don’t know if he was alone.”

“He could be a Defel.” Zand offered. “Based on what I saw, I’d be sure of it. Tula told me that he was able to disappear, but I passed that off as some Sith magic. Looks like it might not have been.”

“Huh…” Dune said, pondering. 

“Bring the tools and follow me.” Zand said, heading out of the cockpit and into the engine room. “We’ll go everything here, and then we’ll see what the damage is outside.”

Dune obliged, following.

“What are you going to do after this?” Zand asked as they entered the room, pulling out a tool and starting to pry away a panel on the engine.

“I’m not sure.” Dune admitted, hesitating for a moment before deciding what to say. Zand wouldn’t judge him. She wasn’t a jedi, and she had no obligation to the code. It might even be good to talk to someone who wasn’t biased either way. 

“Well, my offer still stands.” Zand said. “You’re welcome to work with me till you get things figured out.”

“Thank you.” Dune said. “I’ll let you know.” 

He didn’t mention the message he’d sent to Locke-- one that now seemed extremely unnecessary now that the Sith was dealt with. If they were lucky, they’d be off the planet before anyone reached, and Locke would be none the wiser. 

It did make him sad knowing that the Jedi would likely destroy the temple. Even if he didn’t want to serve the dark side directly, that didn’t mean that he couldn’t learn from it. It’d just been that in the heat of the moment-- with the threat of the Sith and what the ship had showed him-- he’d been afraid, and he’d seen something that he didn’t want to become. 

“I don’t think I want to be a Sith.” He remarked. 

Zand looked over to him curiously. “I mean. I didn’t know you wanted to be one.”

“No, I mean,” Dune began, “I  _ saw  _ things in the temple that the ship showed me. I know that there’s a lot to learn from them and this place, but I don’t want to hurt people I care about.”

Zand hesitated, and when she spoke her voice was measured and careful. 

“I’m not saying I’ve dealt with Sith before. But I do know a story that someone in my family told me. They dealt with a Sith once, on a bounty.”

“Was it this one?” Dune asked, worried, but still excited. 

“I don’t know. It was long enough ago that I couldn’t tell you. They paid well, and we didn’t ask questions. We even had a few other jobs from less reputable characters that said the Sith had spoke well of us. For a little while, we had good business from that.”

“So you don’t hate Sith.” Dune said. 

“I don’t really care either way. Whoever’s willing to pay me is good enough.”

“If I wanted to take you up on your deal to travel with you then, you wouldn’t mind if I was interested in Sith things?”

“So long as you’re willing to do jobs I don’t care what you do.” Zand said. “I’ve seen what you can do today, and I’ll take you on for one or two on a trial basis. We’ll see what happens after that. “

“I think I’d like to do that.” Dune said. It would be good, and it’d give him some more times to figure things out and how he felt about the Jedi and the Sith. Still, he had one more important question. “How much will you pay?”

“Depends. It Tula stays with us, that’ll put us down another share. If she doesn’t, I can give you more. I’ll take a bigger share as it’s my contacts and I’m the one doing the deals, but we can work something fair out.”

“I can work with that.” Dune said. “What about Kara?”

“...I don’t know.” Zand said. “We’ll see.” 

It was silent for a moment as Zand worked, taking stock of the different parts on the engine, making sure each was in working order. 

“I may have sent a message when I saw the Sith.” Dune admitted.

“T’ who?” 

“...Someone who it might be better if they don’t find us here. I didn’t think that we’d be able to deal with the Sith.”

“We got lucky.” Zand admitted. “My armor kept it from being worse than it was.”

“How did you get that armor?” Dune asked, curious. “It’s lightsaber resistant?”

“Yeah. This was my aunt’s before she retired. She lost a leg and decided that maybe she didn’t want to take quite as many risks.”

Dune gawked for a moment, looking towards the leg of her armor. Sure enough, the armor there was a slightly different color than the rest. 

“Wow.” Dune said. “That’s impressive.”

“You should have seen my grandpa. Someone managed to get his helmet off once in a fight, and he lost a chunk of his jaw.”

“Did he retire?” 

“Not then, no. He died in a fight a few years back, but he kept going for a good few years after that.” Zand wiped her hands on a rag, looking back to Dune. “Who’d you send a message to?”

“My old partner. I don’t know when he’ll be here.”

“Isn’t he the one traveling with those others looking for us?”

“Yeah, that’s him.” Dune nodded. “It’s probably best that we get off the planet before he gets here.”

“I’ll let you explain the situation.” Zand said. “You can be the one to tell them that you called the Jedi.”

“I’ll go get Tula and Kara filled in. The sooner we get this fixed, the sooner we can leave... Thanks for being understanding about this.”

“Hey, I’m no Jedi. I don’t care who’s who so long as I can do my job and my family is safe. So long as no one messes with that-- Sith or Jedi-- I don’t care too much.” Zand said.

“Good.” Dune said. 

“I need to go survey the damage outside.” Zand said. “You can go tell Tula and Kara what you want to, and then we’ll work from there.”   
  



	18. Observation

A tall figure stood before an altar, turning something over in their hands as they stood, staring out into the blackness of space. Another figure entered the room, bowing before speaking.

“The Wraith has failed.”

“What was the cost?”

“His life. His ship is returning to us even now. We detected transmissions leaving the planet. It will soon be lost.”

The hooded figure seemed to ponder for a moment, staring into the void of space, tracing the surface of the pyramidal object that they held.

“Then we will need to act to salvage what we can. Tell our agents to do what they can to discover who was alerted. ”

“Let me go.” The second figure quickly stepped closer to the other, voice pleading. “I can succeed where he failed.”

“No.” Their voice was cold. “I will go. There is no room for error this time.”

“I can--”

“I said  _ no _ .” For a moment, the tension in the air was nearly physical, until the the second figure took a fraction of a step back, then nodded. 

“I’ll get your ship ready.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yea it short, srry


End file.
